


The Shackled Rune

by GemNika



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Complete, Dysfunctional Family, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Family Issues, Happily Ever After, Psychological Trauma, Romance, Scars, Strong Female Characters, Team as Family, Torture, Unplanned Pregnancy, Wedding Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-23
Updated: 2018-10-23
Packaged: 2019-08-06 16:14:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 22
Words: 298,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16391006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemNika/pseuds/GemNika
Summary: Lucy becomes a solo mage after Makarov disbands Team Natsu for their destructive nature. Three months later, what she discovers on her mission will change her life forever. [Complete.]





	1. Discovery

**Author's Note:**

> For anyone just discovering this story, I've recently cross-posted it from my FFnet account. It was originally the second story I'd ever written, and posted in 2014. The final chapter was posted in 2016, and I haven't edited it since then.
> 
> I may return to this one day and completely revise it, but for now, I'll leave it as it was originally written.

Lucy crouched low against a tree as she came out of the thick forest just east of Magnolia. She smiled happily when she looked at the scene before her. A thin and winding dirt path led to an old monastery at the top of the hill. She was hoping with every fiber of her being that the lost tome she was searching for was there so that she could get her reward money and make it home in time to have a much needed girls' day with Erza the next day as she watched the sun setting in over the horizon.

She sighed as she made her way down the path, taking her time and keeping an eye out for any danger that was lurking nearby. So far, she hadn't come across anything on this mission, but she didn't have a team to back her up anymore. Team Natsu had been forcefully disbanded three months ago. Gray and Juvia paired up when they started dating, and Lisanna had joined the team in his place. Due to the amount of damage that was still happening, even with Gray on a separate team, Master Makarov had been forced to disband them in the hopes of saving the guild some money. They were still allowed to take missions together, but nowhere near as frequently as they all wanted to, and not with all of them in the same group. Lucy took a couple S-Class missions with Erza, thoroughly enjoying their girl-time after they had finished. Natsu stopped sneaking into Lucy's house and eating everything in sight after she moved, but it wasn't a big deal. Nothing else had changed, aside from her having to work alone.

The only thing that Lucy working alone had changed was her. She had joined Fairy Tail as a bubbly young woman, always with a smile on her face. Her first solo mission after Team Natsu was no more had shown her that the world outside of her loving guild was a cruel place. She had almost failed. Lucy's failure would have cost a young boy his life, and what she saw during that mission had changed something inside of her. She still smiled, but she knew that the brilliance of it had dulled. She still looked lovingly at her friends, but she also knew there was a sadness behind her eyes. She fought to sleep every night for fear of having the same nightmares of failing that mission. Everything had worked out, though; she had found the antidote that the dark mage was keeping from the family, and she had gotten it to the boy just in the nick of time. That dark mage was arrested, and the family was able to sleep peacefully knowing that they were safe. However, the other person he had captured hadn't been so lucky, and Lucy was the only one that knew the woman was there.

Lucy sighed, her heart heavy with the burden she carried. She had felt so alone for the past three months. It seemed as if she was slowly floating away from those she cherished most, even though they were usually the first to welcome her to the guild with bright smiles and hugs. There was a part of her that felt empty. Hollow. She had spent her free time training with her spirits, knowing that if she had been stronger during that first mission, it would have gone by much more smoothly. She wouldn't have had to see the torture that was inflicted on the woman that mage held captive. Lucy had tried to talk to Erza about it, but every time she found the courage it would quickly disappear behind her walls. She had succeeded on the goal of the request, to save the young boy and stop the mage who had hurt him. But, Lucy had failed that woman, the one whose name she would never know.

As Lucy neared the monastery her wandering thoughts were shut out as she heard boisterous laughter coming from inside.  _That's weird, the requestor said that this place has been abandoned for years._  She crouched down and hid behind a marble pillar as she heard footsteps approaching the entrance.

"Is it done?" a slender hooded figure asked.

"Yes, he's secure. Tell them we can move on with the next phase." While the second figure was also wearing a matching black cloak, the voice was decidedly female.

"You've said that before, Ansa," the first person retorted. His voice was deep and gravelly, and it sent chills down Lucy's spine in a way that made her want to vomit. "Three weeks we've had him, and he's broken through everything. How can I know that this will work?"

"Don't underestimate me, Victor," Ansa hissed. "It will work. He's incapacitated entirely, unable to use his magic, and even if he was able to break the barrier… he'll be in too much pain to do anything about it. He's already tried for the past week, and I think we've finally broken his spirit." She gave a soft and snakelike laugh, her breath hissing between her teeth.

"A week? Very well, I'll inform them to move on. I'll be back soon." With that, Victor left down the path that Lucy had been walking on.

Lucy watched intently as Ansa turned around and walked back into the monastery, her shoes barely making any noise on the stone floors.  _What did I stumble on?! I wish my team was here…_  Lucy thought over the conversation again. These people had someone inside, being held hostage. He was a mage, and had been missing for three weeks.  _He must be pretty strong if he keeps breaking out of their grasp._  Lucy flinched as she heard the sharp snap of a whip. She would know that sound anywhere. It was followed by a masculine cry of pain, then more jeering laughter from the men inside.  _I can't just sit here, I have to help him!_

Lucy's sole focus was on getting inside without being spotted. She had no clue how many other people were in the monastery aside from Ansa, but she couldn't leave this man to be tortured. Memories of the times she had been tortured flashed just behind her eyes. Gajeel while he was with Phantom Lord, Minerva at the Grand Magic Games. Even Erza Knightwalker in Edolas. Lucy had never given up hope, and she held a deep respect for this man that had clearly never given up either. She crept inside quickly, listening as the halls echoed with masculine laughter surrounding the snapping whip and the man's cries.

Lucy made her way quietly down the darkened hall, her hands gliding over the uneven bricks used for the wall. She could see the flickering light of a brazier at the end of it, coming from the room beyond. She stopped at the corner and listened.

"Take that, you piece of shit!" a man's voice hollered.

"Ha! Look, he's trying to break free again!"

The noise of the rowdy men was silenced, then Ansa's voice rung out clearly. "What's the matter?" the woman seethed, her rage at the man's refusal to speak to her leaking from her. "Don't have anything to say to me?" She raised the whip again and quickly flicked her wrist, watching with glee as another deep gash spread across his bare chest, and he let out another grunt of pain.

Lucy watched the shadows on the wall in horror. She heard Ansa's words, and could almost feel the venom she poured into her actions. She saw the shadow of the man as he was struck by the leather whip, his body tensing as it hit his skin. Her heart broke when she heard him, and she knew that she had to stop whoever this Ansa person was.

"Here," Ansa whispered maliciously. "Let's see if this will make you talk…"

Lucy peered around the corner just as she heard Ansa shuffling around again, and her eyes widened in horror at the scene. Around fifteen men were surrounding a runic barrier, laughing at the man's suffering. They all wore the same hooded cloaks as Ansa and Victor, but she could tell that the woman was in charge.

Ansa lowered her hood, her raven black hair hanging down to her chin and her yellow eyes gleaming in the light of the braziers. She walked slowly over to the barrier surrounding her prisoner, and she looked up at him for a moment, sneering at the condescension still evident in his face. She had beaten him, tortured him in every manner she could think of, for three whole weeks and he hadn't broken. As she bent over to pick up the sword that laid discarded on the ground she smirked. "You know how it works, I know you do. I'll just… touch the barrier, and we'll see what you say. I hope I don't hurt you." She brought the sword to the barrier and laughed as the man started to scream. His agony was music to her ears.

Lucy was filled with so much rage at what she watched, that her body shook. Never in her life had she expected to see someone treated so cruelly. The man was suspended in the air in the middle of the room, surrounded by a glowing purple runic barrier. His hands were shackled at the wrists by heavy metal handcuffs that led to sturdy chains and pulled up and away from his body, while the rest of him dangled there. He had what appeared to be light grey boots on, though they were spattered with his blood, and a pair of dark trousers tucked into them. He was shirtless, and his slim body was littered with fresh wounds from the whip, trickling blood. Lucy was able to see several scars already formed on his chest, the pale slender marks catching the flickering light in an odd way. Though his head was down, obscuring her view of his face, she tilted her head to the side as she tried to place why the curtain of light green hair that almost reached to his knees was so familiar.

His head shot back, his eyes wide as the pain coursed through him. Ansa hit his sword against the runes that surrounded him, and the attempted breach had sent an electrical current that could have rivaled his idol's down into his body. He felt his muscles tense, contracting spasmodically in tandem with the current that flowed through him, and he watched in horror as the image of his team dying before his eyes played out across the room. One after the other, they were slain. Calling out to him for his assistance, but there was nothing he could do to help them. First, his dearest friend was skewered from behind by a dark entity, the sword slashing up from his stomach through his heart and finally out of his shoulder. The man watched in horror as his friend's glowing eyes dimmed and the small wooden totems surrounding him fell to the ground. Then the woman who considered him a brother was pinned to the wall, her wings being torn from her along with the rest of her clothing. She squirmed and fought, throwing her glasses to the side in a last attempt at defending herself, but the same dark entity rushed up to her, slitting her throat and ripping her head from her body. Finally, his leader. The man fought with the strength of an army against an enemy he couldn't see. He watched as magic shot across the room, and felt a small spark of hope that he would win. Until the darkness that had consumed the other two dove into his leader's mouth and burst from his chest, leaving a human-sized hole in its wake. He felt tears cascading down his cheeks as he watched them die, their blood mingling into one large pool that slowly rose from the ground. He shook in utter terror as his own image was recreated from the blood of his friends, and his copy only smiled evilly at him before raising his sword to his own throat. Before it swiped the blade across its throat, it whispered to him  _"You're weak. You should have helped them… But, you killed them instead."_

He screamed as the blade ran across his mirror image's throat, and the other him fell to the ground. His friends' cries echoed through his head.

_"Why didn't you help us?"_

_"We needed you…"_

_"Weak… Traitor…"_

Lucy backed away from the corner, and silently summoned Taurus and Scorpio. She whispered her plan to them, and they nodded firmly. She turned and gave them the signal, smiling with pride as they jumped into the room. Scorpio let out his Sandbuster attack, and Taurus quickly controlled it with his axe, sending most of the men that surrounded the runes flying into the walls. Lucy readied herself to spring into action as the sand still fell to the ground, quickly following both of the spirits into the fray to dispose of the remaining enemies.  _I can't use too much more magic,_ Lucy thought as she felt her magic drop dangerously low. She had told them to give it everything they had, so she wouldn't have to face too many herself in a head-on collision. Her whip lashed out violently, pulling enemy after enemy into the attacks of her spirits. The prisoner's cries shattered Lucy's heart as she fought, but it kept her fighting spirit alive.  _I'll save you. I promise!_ She heard Taurus and Scorpio let out strangled cries as the last man fell, and she looked up angrily to see Ansa smiling at her. The only sound in the room was the softened whimpers of Ansa's captive, still dangling in the air above them.

"Be careful, Luuuuuucy!" Taurus yelled as he dissipated.

"I'm sorry, Princess."

Lucy shot into the room, her whip lashing out violently at Ansa. She caught the woman's hand that still held the sword, and it clattered loudly against the stone floor. Lucy smirked, thinking the fight was nearly done.

Ansa reached down for her whip, lashing out and catching Lucy by surprise. In quick succession, she knocked Lucy's Fleuve d'Etoiles out of her hand and across the room, then ran at the blonde with surprising speed. She picked the sword up from the ground, hitting Lucy's ribs with her whip and then slashing at her with the sword.

Lucy backed up, dodging as many attacks as she could. Clearly Ansa was using the whip as a distraction so she could hit Lucy with the much deadlier attacks of the sword, but everything was moving too quickly. Lucy cried out in pain as the whip snapped against her ribs again, feeling her blood trail down her stomach. She stopped moving and barely registered the evil smirk on Ansa's face before the blade came slashing down across her face.

Ansa laughed when the blonde fell. She was limp and almost lifeless. Clearly no match for a Speed mage. She walked slowly over to the crumpled mage on the ground, and kicked her in the ribs over and over. She heard a glorious cracking sound as her boot connected with the girl's ribs for the last time, and marveled at the wheezing breaths she was letting out. Slowly, she turned around to see her captive was glaring at her, tears still running down his cheeks. "Are you ready to talk now?" she whispered to him as she walked back to the barrier.

"I won't tell you a thing," he ground out between gritted teeth before his body gave out and he dropped his head in exhaustion.

Lucy knew that voice. She quickly put the pieces together of who the man was, and could have smacked herself for not realizing it sooner. One of the few people that she hardly knew in the guild was being tortured in front of her. Freed Justine. She wasn't worried about the details of his capture, the reasons for his torture, or where his team was at. Lucy was only concerned with making the vile woman that was inflicting such pain and suffering on him pay. And she would pay dearly. She slowly pulled herself up to her knees, checking the drain on her magic. She had just enough for one more summon, but she couldn't waste it. She controlled her breathing as she stood, wincing and wanting to scream out as the pain in her ribs and face nearly floored her. Using Capricorn's training, she transferred that pain into rage.

As Ansa continued to berate Freed, Lucy gathered her strength and assessed the situation. She couldn't see out of her left eye, and the right side of her torso was badly wounded. She slowly raised her hand to her head and felt a gash marring her once cherubic face. The wounds she was suffering from were nothing in comparison to Freed's, and she knew that she had to get him out of there quickly. Shoring up the last of her resolve, Lucy lunged at Ansa and tackled her to the ground. Lucy didn't use her magic against the woman. There was a fire burning deep within her that had fueled the rage she used against her enemy. She grabbed the hand that held the sword and used a strength she didn't know she possessed to snap the wrist in half.

"You bitch!" Ansa shouted, holding her injured wrist closely against her body. She kicked Lucy off of her and rolled back to her feet, glaring at the beaten and bloodied worm that wouldn't just die.

Lucy's magic flowed through her, and her will the fight was boosted as her keys vibrated in anticipation and support against her hip. She lunged at Ansa again, and used a move she learned from Erza. One hand shot up in an uppercut, used as a distraction, while the other grasped Ansa's hair firmly and slammed her face into the stone floor. Lucy pressed a knee into the other woman's back as she pinned her, and roughly pulled her head up. When she saw that she had knocked Ansa out with the single hit, Lucy dragged Ansa's limp body to a podium that held the book she needed for her mission. She quickly grabbed the book and shoved it into her bag.

Lucy turned back and nearly wept at the sight of Freed. His head had dropped back down, his body heaving as his breath came in heavy pants. She heard the rattling of his chains as he shook in fear, and saw tears traveling down his cheeks. She listened for any other signs of life in the monastery, and when nothing happened, she walked around the runic barrier and inspected it. Her brows furrowed as she tried to find the weak point. Every barrier had one, you just had to know where to look, and what to look for. She looked back up at Freed and whispered his name.

He was nearly unconscious, but he could tell that someone was staring at him. His vision had gone hazy. He heard his name softly whispered, almost as if it was a dream. The voice was light and filled with something he couldn't name. When he tried to look up at who his newest torturer would be, he only saw a bloody face and blonde hair before completely losing consciousness.

Lucy smiled sadly at her guildmate, then decided she had to get down to business. She had to figure out how to get him out of those shackles and the runes so that they could get out of that monastery. "Rules. There are always rules…" she whispered as she continued to inspect the runes. She slowly picked up the sword, looking at it and smiling softly when she saw the Fairy Tail symbol engraved in the hilt.  _Freed's sword…_

She looked back up at him, knowing that if he was still conscious he could help her. Shaking her head and scowling, Lucy remembered that she had to depend on herself. There wouldn't always be someone to save her, and she couldn't let herself forget that sad truth. She walked around the barrier again, then looked up at the shackles that held Freed's wrists. There were deep gashes in his wrists where the shackles had chafed against them, rubbing his skin raw. She felt a deep sadness beginning to fill her at the ill treatment of one of her guildmates.  _What has he done to deserve this?_  She followed the path of the chains that held him in place, seeing them go up to the ceiling, then running across it and down into a dark corner. Lucy ran over, ignoring the protests of her ribs, and smiled widely when she saw a small mechanism to lower him to the ground. She spun the crank slowly, keeping an eye on Freed to make sure he didn't hit the ground too hard. When he was finally lying down, she walked back over and thought over what she had seen before the fighting had started.

_Ansa touched the runes with his sword._

_She had hit him with her whip before that, though._

The gears quickly turned in Lucy's head and she realized the first rule. "Ansa said she hoped it didn't hurt him… No weapon can pass through the barrier, unless it is sent with the intent to harm," she whispered.  _She wanted to hurt him with the whip, and her intent sent it through. She didn't intend to hurt him with the sword itself, and her intent made him get hurt._

She looked down at Ansa's unconscious form and sneered. Lucy bent down and searched her pockets, assuming—and turning out to be right—that Ansa held the keys to Freed's shackles. Lucy checked her thoroughly, and sighed in relief when she found no hidden weapons on the woman. With the key in her own pocket, Lucy placed her hand on the barrier.  _I'll save you, Freed._  She recoiled as an electric current shot through her hand, muffling her pained cry. She looked up when she heard Freed's shackles rattling, and saw that the same current had gone through him.

When he had stopped moving, she watched with bated breath for a sign that he was still alive. His breathing was shallow, and shaky, but it was there.  _Intent to harm…_  Lucy thought sourly. She grimaced as she looked down at the sword, then back at Freed.

"Freed, I'll cut your hands off if that will help free you," Lucy said firmly as she took a step forward. She shut her eyes tightly, and when nothing happened they shot open. She turned around to see that she had safely passed through the barrier.  _It worked!_ "The second rule," she whispered. "No person can pass through the barrier, unless they have intent to harm." She was sincere in her statement that she would cause him harm if it set him free, and it worked.

Lucy dropped to her knees beside Freed, pulling the key from her pocket and quickly unlocking his restraints. "Freed," she whispered as she dragged him from the barrier. "Freed, look at me." She laid him on his back just outside the barrier, placing her hands gently on his face. She brushed his hair out of his eyes and smiled softly when his eyes started to open. "You're going to be okay. I'm getting you out of here."

He could hardly see anything. He heard that same sweet voice and saw blonde hair and a bloodied face hovering over him. Everything was a blur, but he used the last of his strength to raise a hand to whoever his savior was, his thumb rubbing across her cheek. He gave her a grateful smile, tears falling from his eyes again. He felt himself slipping back into the dark abyss of sleep, and just before it took him, he whispered. "An angel…"

Lucy's breath caught in her throat at his words. Two small words that he'd whispered as he looked at her, his thumb running along her uninjured cheek so gently she could barely feel it. Deciding it was time to get out of there, Lucy summoned Virgo with the last of her magic, knowing that she had about two hours worth of time that Virgo could stay out without completely draining her.

Virgo appeared in a flash of golden light and bowed. "Punishment, Princess? Oh! You're injured!" she said, dropping to her knees at Lucy's side to check her master's injuries.

"Don't worry about me, Virgo. I need you to tie these people up. Make sure they can't use any magic. That one," Lucy pointed to Ansa, "Needs punishment. And I think it would be best if she was punished with her own torture device." She pointed at the shackles that she had just released Freed from.

Virgo smiled softly. "I will return to you shortly, Princess."

Lucy stood up and found the rest of Freed's belongings in a makeshift cell in the corner: his shirt, and a small bag that held a communication lacrima. She gathered them and walked quickly back to Freed. Lucy tore his shirt into strips and wrapped it around his torso, bandaging him the best she could.  _I'll fix this when we're safe._

"Is there anything else I can help you with, Princess?" Virgo asked softly as she returned.

Lucy looked up at her loyal spirit and gave her a small smile. Their reprieve was cut short when loud footsteps came rushing down the hall.

"Ansa! We've gotta go! They're hot on our trail!" Victor shouted as he ran into the room.

Virgo spun around, diving into the ground and popping up behind the hooded man before he had time to react. She quickly incapacitated him, and tied him up with the rest of his cohorts.

Lucy gave Virgo an appreciative smile as she lifted the lacrima out of Freed's bag. "Virgo, please keep watch. I'm going to call Master and have him send someone to question these guys." When Virgo gave her a short nod and walked to the entrance, Lucy grimaced as she turned back to the lacrima. She sent a small amount of magic into it, thinking of Master Makarov, and placed it on the floor while she waited for him to answer.

"FREED?! Oh thank goodness! We've been—Lucy?!" Makarov shouted, the relief that his voice had started out with disappearing and filling with concern. "What has happened to you?!"

"Master," Lucy said solemnly. "I've found Freed. I didn't even know he was missing, but I found him in the monastery I was searching for my mission."

"Is he alright? What's happened?" Makarov asked sternly. He had been so worried when Laxus had told him that Freed had disappeared, and that the Raijinshuu wasn't returning until they found him.

"He was captured and tortured—"

Makarov gasped, his face going pale.

"—But I've taken out his captors, and they're tied up in the monastery. He's going to be fine, but he'll have some scars."

"Lucy, are you alright? Do you need help?"

Lucy frowned and said, "I'm fine. Just a flesh wound. I suggest you send the Raijinshuu down here to question the leader. She's tied up in the prison they had set up for Freed." Lucy turned the lacrima so that Makarov could see Ansa suspended from shackles, trapped in a runic prison. When she turned it back to face her, Lucy smiled sadly. "Have them come to my house after they're finished. I think they captured him for a reason, Ansa—that woman—said something about moving onto the next phase…"

Makarov sighed and said, "Alright, please be careful, child."

Lucy gave him a soft smile, then shut off the lacrima, placing it back in Freed's bag. She removed her own shirt and tore the bottom half of it, wrapping it around her head and covering the gash on her face. Lucy looked at her shirt, knowing the shredded remains would barely cover her breasts. She shrugged and wrapped it around the gashes in her side, adding pressure to her cracked ribs. She pulled Freed slowly into a sitting position, putting his bruised arms through the sleeves of his jacket. Then, she put his arms over her shoulders and maneuvered so his chest was pressed against her back. Lucy grunted as she pulled them both up to a standing position, then bent forward and grabbed his legs, pulling tightly against her waist.  _Well, looks like Freed is going to get a piggyback ride,_  she thought as she felt the strain on her muscles under his weight.

"Virgo," Lucy whispered as she walked up behind the maid. "Please stay here until the Raijinshuu arrive, then bring them to the house when they're ready." She handed Virgo the key to the shackles and told her the rules for the barrier, then started on her journey home.

* * *

"What do you mean, Blondie found Freed?!" Laxus shouted at the lacrima image of his grandfather.

"It is as I've said. She was on a mission, and found him being tortured. She saved him and has asked that you go and question his captors," Makarov said softly, smiling at the strength Lucy had shown.

"Why can't someone else do it? We need to get Freed," Laxus growled.  _How could Blondie beat the people that captured_ _ **Freed**_ _? He's too smart to get captured in the first place, and too strong to stay that way._

"Laxus, my boy. She said they were talking about his capture being only one phase of a plan. He is safe under Lucy's care, and she has asked that you go and see them after you have gotten the information from their leader." Makarov grinned as he thought about what Lucy had shown him.

"Why are you grinning, old man?"

Makarov laughed and said, "Well, it seems our young Lucy decided to tie their leader up in the confines of Freed's prison."

"How is that funny?" Bickslow asked.

"You'll see when you get there. The monastery isn't far from Magnolia." Makarov gave them directions to it and shut off the lacrima. As he sat in his chair and looked at the much smaller pile of paperwork he had to go through he whispered, "It seems disbanding that destructive team has been a good change for our young Celestial mage… And the guild's pocket!"

* * *

Lucy grunted in pain as she shifted Freed's weight again. She was almost home and couldn't wait to put him down. Her whole body was feeling exhausted, pain throbbing in her face and ribs with every move she made. When her house came into view, she smiled sadly.

When Lucy had gotten used to taking solo missions, she found that she had a lot more money to spend after her rent since none of her reward went to pay for damages. Instead of rushing into a fight like they had always done with Team Natsu, Lucy planned things out. She took her time, using her father's insistence that she learn about so many different subjects to her advantage. Her tactics had saved her more times than she could count. Knowing where an exit was at, how many enemies she was up against, and their strengths and weaknesses had been a godsend. After two months, Lucy decided that her apartment was a symbol of her beginning in Fairy Tail. It held memories of Natsu, Happy, Erza, and Gray. Memories of Phantom Lord, the GMG, her father's death. She had begun a new chapter as a solo mage, and felt that she needed to make a change. Instead of spending her extra money, Lucy had inadvertently saved it and she was glad that she did.

She bought the small cottage as soon as she stumbled on it, getting a great deal because of its location just inside of Magnolia and because it was in need of some serious care. Loke and Virgo had helped her move in and fix everything up, and she immediately told her old team and Makarov that she had moved in case they needed to find her. So far, no one had come to her home.

Lucy walked up to the door and shifted Freed so she could unlock it. Once inside, she quickly locked it again, dropping his sword and their bags on the couch, and made her way to the bedroom. Looking down at her dark blue comforter set, she sighed.  _His wounds need to be cleaned and redressed before I can lay him down,_  she thought as she grabbed some of Gray's discarded clothes from her dresser and walked to the bathroom. She carefully bent over, turning on the bathwater and setting it at a warm temperature, and hissed in pain as she stood back up. Her vision was spotted with black dots as the pain in her ribs faded to a dull ache again, and she pushed it out of her mind. Carefully, cautious of the injuries Freed had sustained, Lucy knelt down and sat him against the wall.

"This would be so much easier if you were conscious, Freed," Lucy whispered as she removed his blood-stained red coat. She grimaced as she removed the poor attempt at bandages, already splotched with his blood. Once they were thrown away, Lucy choked back a sob at the sight of his battered body. Scars littered his torso, all of them clearly from Ansa's whip, crossing over one another in some sick cross-hatched pattern. His arms were the same, fresh gashes and scars running all over them. She pulled Freed away from the wall, and saw that even his back was injured. "Freed… I'm so sorry you had to go through that…" Lucy said softly as a tear fell down her cheek.

Once the water was at the right level, she turned off the faucet. Turning back to Freed, Lucy removed his boots, then looked at his pants. Then, she blushed. She hadn't thought about the fact that he would have to be naked when she brought him in here, but she was too far along to stop. Lucy looked at the long green hair that was covering his face and gave him a sad smile. She leaned forward and pushed his hair back behind his ears, admiring the striking features that she had never noticed before. The small beauty mark under his eye, his thick eyelashes, and his striking cheekbones. Lucy cupped his face in her hands as tears continued to fall. She knew what it was like to have to endure torture, hoping you could find a way out or that someone would save you. She never wanted anyone to have to go through that pain, and it broke her heart that Freed had been forced to do just that.

Gathering her nerves together, Lucy resolved to help him in any way she could. It would be hard on him, she knew it. If the physical scars that were left weren't bad enough, his screams that echoed through the monastery were proof that there was more to his torture than a lashing. She didn't know what it was, but she knew that she would help him if he allowed her.

 _You can do this,_  Lucy said to herself. She kept her eyes averted as she unbuttoned his pants, slowly sliding them and his underwear down and off of his body. She threw the remaining clothes onto his jacket, and then picked Freed up by wrapping her arms around his waist and hugging him close to her body. As his skin pressed against hers, Lucy's blush deepened, but she still got him into the bathtub.

"Well, that's done…" she said tiredly and she grabbed a small washcloth and put some of her vanilla bodywash on it. She carefully cleaned each of his wounds, removing any remnants of dirt that coated him as gently as she could. Lucy refused to pay attention to the feel of his skin under her fingers, or his muscles that had clearly deteriorated while he was held prisoner. She acknowledged that they were there, but couldn't allow herself to dwell on it. The situation was awkward enough without her ogling the unconscious mage. Once Freed's chest, back, arms, and face were clean, Lucy looked up at the ceiling as she moved down to his feet. She never went higher than his knees, refusing to even consider washing such a private area. That was a breach of his trust, even though he didn't know she was caring for him. She blushed again when an errant thought danced through her mind:  _What would it be like to touch him there?_

Lucy sighed in relief once his body was cleaned—well, mostly cleaned—and grabbed her shampoo. She pulled him into a sitting position, laying his head on her shoulder as she massaged the shampoo into his hair. This was the only time she allowed herself to observe what she was doing. She smiled at the feel of his silky tresses gliding through her fingers, wondering how he managed to handle so much hair when she could hardly stand her own being past her waist. As she tipped his head back into the water to rinse it, she heard a soft moan spill from his lips. She looked down and saw a content, but pained, smile barely gracing his features and his lips parted as he exhaled. She repeated with the conditioner, gaining another soft moan from him as her fingers ran through his hair, then leaned him back so she could empty the water from the tub.

Once the bathtub was drained, Lucy grabbed a towel and immediately threw it over his hips, then let out a breath she hadn't known she was holding. She felt her blush finally leave her face, making it feel strangely cold in the absence of the heat it had radiated while she bathed Freed. Lucy dried him off, patting the open wounds on his body as tenderly as she could. She pulled him against her again as she dried his hair, wringing out the excess water and running a towel over it. When a third soft moan left him, she chuckled.  _Well, I guess he likes having someone mess with his hair,_  she thought.

Lucy pulled him from the tub and dressed him in the new pair of boxers—thank goodness she had bought Gray some underwear that he never used—and the shorts she had grabbed, then carried him to her bed. Once he was in place, she quickly returned to her bathroom and pulled out her medical supplies, ready to bandage him up.

* * *

Laxus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose as his team followed him into the monastery. Forty-five minutes of listening to Bickslow and Evergreen worry about Freed was giving him a headache. "Can you guys just shut the hell up? We're here!" he shouted.

The three mages walked silently into the monastery, and gaped at what they saw. Sixteen men were shackled to the walls, separated by at least ten feet. Their restraints were run through a large metal ring jammed firmly into the wall, and they were all unconscious.

"How did Blondie do this?" Laxus asked in awe.

"Oh, you have arrived," Virgo said as she walked out of the shadows.

"What the fuck?!" Laxus shouted, jumping back.  _How did I not notice her?!_

"My Princess asked me to stay here and lead you to her location after you had interrogated their leader." Virgo gave them a small, almost imperceptible smile, that didn't go unnoticed.

"What? Cosplayer had you stay here?" Bickslow asked, looking around at the unconscious men again.

"Yes," Virgo said softly. "She has taken your green-haired friend to her home to tend to his wounds, though I'm concerned she may be pushing herself too hard with her own injuries."

"Blondie's hurt?" Laxus asked. "Why didn't she just stay here then?"

Virgo sighed and shook her head. "Because she is stubborn. She said it wasn't safe here, and refused to wait for someone to come and help them."

"Where's the leader?" Evergreen asked softly. She wanted to get out of there and check on Freed. And Lucy now. Evergreen didn't know much about the young blonde, but she had saved their friend and was taking care of him even though she was hurt as well. Evergreen had a new-found respect for the little blonde.

Virgo grinned, dropping her stoic façade as she turned and looked into the air at the center of the room. "Ansa," she began, "Is being punished."

The three mages followed the spirit's gaze and blanched at what they saw. The raven-haired woman was glaring at them, her wrists shackled and pulled up and away from her body while the rest of her weight hung heavily from her restraints. There was a large runic barrier surrounding her. "What the fuck is that?" Laxus asked quietly.

"That is the prison your friend was being tortured in when my Princess found him," Virgo said solemnly. "She has asked that I explain to you the rules of the prison, and give you the key to the shackles holding their leader." Virgo turned back to hand Laxus the key as she gave them Lucy's message.

"What did she do to Freed," Laxus growled out after Virgo had finished.

"She used her whip. And then used his sword to activate the runes and torture him further."

"This won't take long," Bickslow said with a sadistic smile as Laxus stalked toward the bound woman. It was a matter of seconds before they heard her screams tearing through the air.

* * *

Lucy taped up the final bandage and tucked Freed under her blanket. "You rest now, Freed. I'll be right back." She turned and walked to her desk, writing him a small note in case he woke up and she wasn't in the room.

Lucy walked back into the bathroom, picking up Freed's clothing and placing them into a bag for Virgo to clean. Then she removed her own bandages and clothes, avoiding the mirror like the plague, and jumped into the shower. She didn't want to take too long, since Freed could wake up at any moment and his team would be there soon. She looked down after cleaning her face, grimacing and feeling her stomach churn as she felt the gash there, and was relieved to see that her ribs weren't as bad as she had thought. The skin was already bruising from at least one of them being cracked, and there were only a couple lacerations from Ansa's whip. After she got out of the shower, Lucy dried off and walked into her room, putting her hair into a messy bun as she walked. Freed was still asleep, so she dropped her towel and threw on a pair of lacy black underwear and a matching bra, then her favorite grey yoga pants.

"Princess," Virgo said softly as Lucy walked out into the living room in a bra and pants.

Lucy jumped, pressing a hand to her chest. "Hey Virgo, you scared me! Everything alright?"

Virgo's eyes glinted mischievously, a look that Lucy didn't see, then she said, "Yes, Laxus and his team are walking up the steps now. Do you need anything else?"

"Yeah, could you clean what's left of Freed's clothes?" Lucy asked sheepishly as she handed Virgo the bag.

Virgo smiled at her and bowed. "I would be honored. Please take care, Princess." With that, she left. Not even a minute later, there was a knock on the door.

Lucy threw her shirt over her shoulder, not caring in that moment who saw her as she walked over to the door. She was exhausted, both physically and magically, and couldn't be bothered with putting her shirt on before she had a chance to bandage herself back up. "Who is it?" Lucy asked through the door, smirking—and then regretting it when her face started throbbing—at the image in her mind of an upset Laxus.

"It's us, Blondie. Open up."

Lucy rolled her eyes playfully and opened the door. "Come on in, guys. He's asleep right no—"

"What the hell happened to you?!" Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen shouted in unison.

"What? I got into a fight." Lucy shrugged as she walked back inside. "I'll be fine."

All three mages looked at each other, then walked inside and closed the door. They followed Lucy's lead and sat down in the living room, staring at the young blonde. They could see the extent of her injuries, and each of them were shocked that she was still standing. Her ribs were covered in dark blue and black bruises. She had long lacerations on her sides and stomach. The worst though, and the biggest reason for their concern, was her face. From her hairline to her chin was a nasty gash that crossed diagonally through her left eye and down across her lips and finally ended on the right side of her chin.

"Lucy, are you sure you're alright? Your… eye…" Evergreen whispered, leaning close and placing a hand on the blonde's knee.

Lucy gave her a small smile. "Evergreen, I appreciate your concern, but this is nothing. At least, not in comparison to what Freed went through…" Her smile faltered at the end and she fought to keep her sadness and tears hidden from the group in front of her.

Laxus stared at Lucy intently for a minute, studying her and trying to figure her out. He couldn't understand how anyone was capable of pushing past the pain he knew she was feeling. He knew from experience just how painful that gash on her face was, and when he had been healing from having the lacrima forced into his skull, he had cried for days until it was better. "Ever, go get supplies. Bix, make some tea. I need to talk to Blondie."

Lucy watched with wide eyes as Evergreen and Bickslow jumped up and walked off into her home. Evergreen walked into the bathroom, most likely getting the bandages that Lucy was about to grab for herself. Bickslow went off into her kitchen, and she heard him rummaging in her cupboards while he tried to find what he needed. She looked back at Laxus and raised her uninjured eyebrow at him. When he sat there staring at her for too long, Lucy said, "Can I help you, Laxus?"

"How are you not a blubbering mess right now?" he asked softly. It was uncharacteristic of him, he even knew that. There was no arrogance in his tone, no smirk plastered on his face.

"What? Because of a few cuts? I'm  _fine,_ " Lucy insisted.

"Blondie, can you even see out of that eye?" he asked, leaning forward and furrowing his brow as he looked closely at her injury.

Lucy huffed and put a hand over her eye, looking through the injured one and said, "Yes, I can see. It's a little blurry right now, but I'm sure it'll be fine once it's healed." She dropped her hand and shrugged. "Like I said,  _I'm fine_."

"You know you don't have to be strong all the time, right?" he whispered. He could see the walls she had built slowly crumbling under the weight of the day's events. If he hadn't had them himself, he never would have noticed. "You can let it out, and none of us will judge you. We're all family."

Lucy dropped her gaze from his stormy blues and twiddled her fingers. "That's not why I hide it, Laxus." She sighed, deciding maybe it was time to confide in someone, even just a little bit. "Ever since Team Natsu was disbanded, I've had to do things on my own. I haven't had anyone there to have my back or baby me. No one to take care of me if I get hurt." She looked back up at him, and saw sadness in his eyes. "I don't want pity from anyone. And, I'm just fine alone. So, I appreciate your concern, but Freed needs you guys more than I do." Lucy had spent too much time relying on everyone in her old team to take care of her, and she knew it would never be that way again. She wouldn't allow herself to have that weakness.

Evergreen walked back in and sat down next to Lucy. She pressed er fingers lightly against Lucy's ribs and frowned when Lucy hissed in pain. "You've got a cracked rib, it might be broken."

"It doesn't hurt to breathe," Lucy whispered, looking at the floor again.

"That's because you're blocking the pain out, Blondie," Laxus said firmly.

Lucy only shrugged. "I can do this, Evergreen. Don't worry about me."

Evergreen grabbed Lucy's hands before they could stop her preparations to bandage her. She moved her face into Lucy's line of vision and gave her a sweet smile. "Lucy, Freed is like a brother to me. You saved him and took care of him. Please let me do this for you?"

Lucy looked at the never-ending gratitude in Evergreen's eyes, then sighed and gave her a short nod before looking away again. She sat as still as possible while the Fairy mage wrapped her ribs tightly, applying an antiseptic and extra gauze to the whip's lashes.

"You really should just let Wendy heal you," Laxus said as Evergreen finished wrapping Lucy's ribs. "Before you say anything, I know.  _You're fine._  I'm just saying, it's what she does. She'll even make sure you don't have a scar."

Lucy looked up at Laxus, her eyes hard and unforgiving. "I won't go to Wendy. I deserve to have a scar." When she saw his eyes widen and Evergreen pause, she sighed. "It's a lesson. I should have been faster. More prepared. It was a stupid mistake on my part, and Ansa's trick worked."

"What happened anyway, Cosplayer?" Bickslow asked as he brought the tea into the living room.

Lucy added honey to her tea, took a sip, and then said, "She had Freed's sword and her own whip. She used the whip as a distraction, still getting a couple hits on me in the process, and then I paused. I hesitated. That was my mistake. She took that opportunity to slash at my face with his sword." Lucy took another sip of her tea, then added, "Like I said, I deserve to have a scar."

The three mages just stared at her. What had happened to the happy and bubbly blonde they remembered? Lucy had hardly smiled since they had arrived, and her demeanor was nowhere near what they would have expected. She used to be optimistic, always finding the brightest light in a situation.

Lucy looked over at Evergreen, her expression softening, and her lips going up into a painless half-smile. "Thank you, Evergreen. I do appreciate your help, even if I was too stubborn to accept it right away." She turned slowly and grabbed her discarded shirt, then looked at Bickslow as she put it on. "You know, I'm surprised…"

"By what, Cosplayer?" Bickslow asked as he watched her, concern etched on his hidden brow.

"You haven't made a single comment about me being half-naked. Are you feeling alright?" Lucy asked, giving him a soft chuckle as she playfully pressed a palm to his visor.

Bickslow gave her a normal smile, no tongue hanging from his mouth, and said, "Maybe next time, Cosplayer."

Before Lucy could throw back a retort, all four of them jumped when they heard a bloodcurdling scream from Lucy's room. Lucy jumped to her feet, vaulting over the back of the couch and dashing down the hallway, following the sound of Freed's screams. She threw the door to her bedroom open, turned on the lights and ran over to the bed. "Freed! Freed! What is it? What's wrong?!" she shouted, as she pinned him to the bed to contain his thrashing.

Freed's head shook back and forth. His nightmare a repeat of what he had seen while he was a captive. His team dying in front of him, blaming him for their deaths. Again and again, he watched them die in new ways every time. The only similarity was that their blood would turn into him, and that copy would say the same thing over and over. His eyes shot open and he saw a flash of golden hair, felt small hands pinning his shoulders to the bed.  _Golden hair… a bloody face… the one that saved me?_ , he thought as his movements slowed. "Angel?" he whispered. It was what he called that savior, though he was almost down for the count when he said it, he still remembered what he thought she was.

"Not an angel, Freed. It's just me. Lucy," Lucy whispered to him.

"Lucy…" Freed said softly, furrowing his brows as he tried to remember why that name was so familiar.

Lucy gave him a soft smile, brushing his hair away from his face. "Yes, Lucy Heartfilia, from Fairy Tail," she whispered as she raised her right hand and showed him her guildmark.

His eyes widened in recognition. "Lucy!" He looked around quickly, trying to figure out where he was at, then back up to look into her eyes. "Where am I?"

"You're in my house. I brought you here after tying up Ansa. I'll explain everything later, but first… How are you feeling?"

 _Scared, lost, confused, intense pain. Absolutely terrified…_  He just stared at her wide-eyed, unable to choose just one emotion. "I…"

Lucy nodded then let go of his shoulders. "I understand. You're safe now, though." She had seen the absolute terror in his eyes. It was strange that his face wasn't the normal stoic expression she always saw, but under the circumstances, she didn't blame him. "Would you like me to get you anything?"

Freed studied Lucy as she hovered above him. Her hair was pulled away from her face, her brown eyes staring into his green. He frowned when he saw the gash on her face and said, "What happened?"

Lucy looked away from him then, lowering her eyes in shame and turning her head away from him. "Ansa. I wasn't fast enough. I hesitated, and she got me with your sword." Lucy had sworn to herself that she would help him, and could have gotten seriously hurt in the process because of her mistake. She was lucky that Ansa only got her face.  _I deserve to have this as a reminder…_

Freed raised his hand, wincing at the pain in his shoulder as he moved, and turned her face back to him. "Does it hurt?" he asked when she looked back at him.

Lucy shrugged noncommittally and said, "I'm blocking it out. Besides, I'm more concerned with you right now. You took a serious beating from her."

Taking his cue from Lucy, Freed shrugged. Then winced as his body protested the small movement. "I will be fine."

Lucy nodded again, knowing that Freed wasn't going to tell her anything unless he wanted to. She didn't know what to say to him. He needed to rest, but he might be thirsty or in need of pain killers. Or even hungry. She had no clue what he needed, but wouldn't push him.

Laxus stood just inside the room with Evergreen and Bickslow, and silently watched the interaction between Lucy and Freed. They had never seen him so scared, but Lucy's presence had somehow calmed him down.  _Angel?_  Laxus thought.  _What happened to him?_

Evergreen silently gasped when Lucy touched Freed's hair. The guy preferred his space, never letting anyone get too close to him, yet there Lucy was straddling his waist like it was no big deal and stroking his hair. Freed had always refused to let Evergreen touch his hair. It didn't even seem like either of them knew what position they were in.

Laxus, ever the tactful one, cleared his throat to let them know they had company. When Lucy turned to look at him, clearly surprised by their presence, he raised an eyebrow and smirked at her.

Lucy looked at Laxus in confusion. She couldn't understand why he was giving her that look, but when his eyes traveled lower on her body, she followed his gaze and squeaked when she saw that she was straddling Freed. Lucy launched herself off of Freed, then collapsed to the floor as her ribs protested the sudden jolt. She gritted her teeth, holding onto her ribs as she pulled herself onto her hands and knees.

"Lucy!" Evergreen shouted, running into the middle of the room to help Lucy.

"I'm fine," Lucy grunted. Her block on the pain was starting to fail, and she could feel it slowly returning to her.

"No, you're not!" Evergreen said, pulling Lucy closer to her. "You need to be healed!" She turned to Laxus and said, "Tell her! She really needs to let us call Wendy!"

"No!" Lucy shouted, then grunted again when the strain on her ribs was too much. "I'm fine, just give me a minute."

"Lucy, there's no need to be a fucking martyr," Laxus said sternly, crossing his arms over his chest. "Just let Wendy heal you."

"I'm not a martyr! I just don't need anyone's  _fucking help_!" Lucy yelled, ripping herself from Evergreen's grasp. "I'm doing just fine on my own, and I don't need you guys to tell me that I'm too weak to do it! It's my fault that I got hurt, so just let me deal with it!"

Everyone watched Lucy break down into a fit of sobs, curling around herself and holding her aching ribs as her body was wracked with tremors. No one moved. No one dared to go near her. No one, except the one person that hoped he could get through to her. Freed sat up slowly on the bed, keeping the pain he felt from his face as he knelt down next to her. He looked at his team, and smiled internally when they nodded absently and left the room, closing the door behind them. "Lucy," he whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Why won't you let Wendy help you?"

Lucy flinched away from Freed's touch, not wanting to take any comfort from him. She needed to face her problems herself, and couldn't use anyone as a crutch. "Why should it matter what I do?" she asked softly between sobs.

"Because you're suffering and you won't let anyone help you," he said, placing his hand back on her shoulder.

"I'm not a weakling. I can take care of myself…"

He smiled sadly and said, "Even the best of us need help sometimes." When she looked up at him he brushed her tears away and said, "If you had not helped me, I would still be in that prison."

"That's different, you —"

"I also would not have been bandaged and cared for while I was unconscious," he whispered, keeping his hands cupped carefully on her cheeks.

"You needed help, what was I supposed to do? Leave you there?" she whispered. "I couldn't do that… Besides, I don't see why they care so much what I do…"

"Laxus, Evergreen, Bickslow, and I are a very close-knit group," he said, wiping her tears away again. "You saved me, for which I will forever be thankful, and they feel the same way. They just want to repay you for the kindness you showed me."

"So, because I helped you, they want to force me to see Wendy?" she asked with a frown. "I'm fine with calling Wendy to help  _you_ , but I figured I would wait until morning, since it's pretty late. I don't need anyone's help."

Freed sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to figure out how to make her understand. "It isn't a weakness to accept help," he whispered, his head starting to feel heavy. He felt dizzy and slightly disoriented and his brow furrowed as he tried to regain his focus.

"Freed? Are you alright?" Lucy asked, placing her hands on his shoulders to steady him.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he said, then felt himself falling forward.

Lucy caught him quickly, pulling his head to rest on her shoulder. She brushed his hair out of his face again, and heard him sigh contentedly. "Come on, you need to lie back down. You shouldn't be moving around anyway," she whispered and carefully stood up with him. When he was steady, leaning onto her for support, she walked him back to the bed and sat him down. "You need to rest, Freed."

He felt her lift his legs up onto the bed, heard her sharp intake of breath when she moved to quickly. Lucy pulled the blanket back over him as he laid back on the pillows, and his eyes opened lazily. "Thank you, Lucy," he whispered before closing his eyes again.

Lucy watched as Freed's breathing evened out. She smiled as she brushed a stray hair from his face, then leaned down to give him a soft kiss on the forehead. She didn't know why she did it, but it felt like the right thing to do. "I'll be out in the living room if you need me," she whispered before standing up to leave the room.

* * *

The living room was silent as the three mages sat down after leaving Freed with Lucy. They had no clue that anything had changed with the young blonde, but they were seeing firsthand just how wrong they were.

"Why was she on a solo mission, anyway?" Evergreen asked. "Where was her team?"

"Gramps broke up Blondie's team because the others were too destructive. He was tired of footing the bill," Laxus said with a stern expression on his face. "He broke them up three months ago."

"Well, why didn't she join up with someone else?" Bickslow added.

Laxus shrugged, "Who else could she have teamed up with? Gramps said they could take missions together  _occasionally_ , but even then it couldn't be more than two of them together.

"So, Cosplayer's been going solo this whole time?"

Laxus nodded. "Gramps said that, if anything, it would give her more confidence in her abilities. But, I think it might have done more harm than good."

"Because she's not like she used to be?" Evergreen asked sadly.

Both of the men nodded. They all sat in silence again, not knowing what to do.

Laxus continued listening in on Freed's conversation with the blonde mage. He had never heard Freed talking as much as he was with Blondie, and he had never used that tone before. It was gentle, consoling, like there was something that only the two of them understood.

"I still don't understand why she won't accept our help," Evergreen whispered. "We're all part of Fairy Tail. It's what we do. She knows that better than anyone…"

"That might be the point, though," Bickslow said. "Cosplayer thinks that she's weak if she asks for help from anyone."

"But that's not a weakness! It shows a lot of strength to admit that you need help!"

"Ever," Laxus cut in. "She was essentially kicked off of her team with no one to turn to. What did you think would happen? The world isn't sunshine and roses and little happy bunnies. It's hard as hell and doesn't give a shit what you think, or say, or how you feel. She's doing well for herself, but it's lonely as hell when you take mission after mission with no one by your side."

"He's right," Lucy whispered as she walked back into the living room. "I hate being alone more than anything, but it's just how it is." She carefully made her way over to the couch, sitting down and taking a sip of her lukewarm tea. "I'm sorry, you guys. I know you were just trying to help."

"Will you let us help you then?" Evergreen asked. She couldn't explain it, but there was something about Lucy that made her feel like the girl was the sister she never had. She saw the sadness in the blonde's eyes and wanted to make it go away. Maybe it was the fact that Lucy saved Freed. Maybe it was how quickly Lucy forgot her own problems to go and take care of him when he needed it. Evergreen didn't mind, regardless of the reason, because Lucy had captured a small part of her heart.

Lucy sighed, looking at each of Freed's teammates. "I'll let Wendy heal my ribs and my eye. But that's  _it_. The cuts and scrapes can heal on their own. I messed up and I deserve each and every scar I'll have."

Laxus sighed.  _It's not great, but it's a start._  "Alright, I'll go call her."

Lucy pinned him with a glare and said, "You  _will not_  call that little girl at two in the morning! I can call her in the morning so she can treat Freed. Only  _after_ he's been healed will I let her work on me."

Bickslow's jaw dropped as he looked between Lucy and Laxus.  _What's Laxus gonna do? No one ever talks back to him that way._

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose again, his irritation growing by the second. "Fine. Call her in the morning."

"Thank you," Lucy whispered. Her body finally caught up with her and she yawned, stifling it as much as possible so she didn't hurt herself.

Evergreen gave Lucy a knowing look, and said, "We should get going. Keep us updated, alright?"

Lucy smiled at the brunette and nodded. She stood and walked the three to the door, then stopped Evergreen and handed her a key.

"What's this for?" Evergreen asked, looking from the key to Lucy and back.

Lucy smiled and said, "How about you guys bring Wendy over in the morning, and I'll tell you all what happened over breakfast?"

Evergreen grinned at Lucy. "We'd love to. See you then."

Lucy waved as they walked down the stairs, wishing them a goodnight. After they had left, Lucy locked the door and sighed, her head hanging low. "I don't know what's wrong with me… Why can't I just accept their help?" She looked at the clock again, causing another yawn to wrack her already exhausted body. Looking over at the couch, she frowned. She would never be able to sleep on it comfortably, but she hardly slept as it was. She walked back into her bedroom to check on Freed before she forced herself to sleep on the couch.

He was already tossing and turning, his brow creased as he dreamt. Lucy sat down on the edge of the bed and ran a hand through his hair. It had always helped Natsu relax after he had a nightmare—back when he had slept in Lucy's bed—so it was natural for her to do it. Well, it was natural if it was Natsu. With Freed, her hand automatically made the motions, but her mind was reeling with confusion.  _First I save him, then bathe him, and now I'm stroking his hair?!_  Before she could get lost in her thoughts, she saw Freed's eyes slowly opening, and a soft smile playing across his lips.

"Lucy," he whispered, hiding his disappointment that she pulled her hand away. He rolled onto his back and looked at her for a moment before asking, "Is something wrong?"

Lucy simply said, "You looked like you were having a bad dream, so I…"

"I was."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" she asked softly, not able to meet his gaze when she had been caught running her fingers through his hair.

"Maybe some other time. I'd rather not think about it right now," he said, looking off to the side.

"I understand. It's hard remembering what you went through every time you close your eyes…"

Freed's eyes shot back to Lucy, her deep understanding of the situation piquing his interest. "How do you know that?"

She smiled sadly and said, "Gajeel in Phantom Lord, Erza Knightwalker in Edolas, Kain on Tenrou, and Minerva at the Grand Magic Games. I don't have the best of luck, it seems." Before he could say anything, she placed her hand on his and said, "Get some rest, alright? I'll be sleeping on the couch."

When Lucy tried to stand up, Freed grabbed her hand before she could get too far away. He searched for something in her eyes, but he didn't know what it was. He saw a deep sadness in her, loneliness that she fought to hide. A small part of him wished that he was able to take it all away from her, but his mind refused to listen.

"Yes, Freed?" Lucy asked softly, turning back to look at him.

"Don't go," he said, his brow furrowed as he tried to figure out what was so compelling about her.

"You and I both need our rest if we're going to heal. Wendy will be coming over in the morning so she can help you… and then help me a little, too." She gave him a half-smile, the most she could manage without causing herself any more pain. "I'm taking your advice."

Freed smiled at her words and said, "Good." When Lucy turned to leave again, he squeezed her hand and sighed when she turned back around, her eyes expectant. "I… Well…"

"Freed," she asked, sitting back down on the bed and looking into his sea green eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Would you…" He blushed, almost losing his nerve. "Would you be willing to sleep in here?"

Lucy couldn't have been more shocked at his request. She looked around the room, wishing she had a chair that she could agree to sleep in. "There's nowhere for me to sleep in here."

Freed's blush darkened and he looked away from her. "Y-You're right. My apologies."

Lucy couldn't help but smile as she realized what he had been trying to ask her. "Freed," she whispered, forcing him to turn and look at her, "Did you want me to lay down in bed to help you sleep?" She couldn't help the small blush that dusted across her cheeks.

"N-No, that would be… Just…" He couldn't believe that he was at a loss for words. Her hands running through his hair had helped end his nightmare. It was such a simple act, so small that most would have found it negligible. He didn't understand why, but something about Lucy set him at ease. Maybe it was that she understood what he was going through, or just her compassionate nature in general.

Lucy rolled her eyes and patted his hand. She quickly stood up, grimacing as pain shot through her torso, and walked into the living room. She turned off the lights, made sure everything was locked, then walked back into her bedroom, turning off the light when she walked past the switch. She walked around the other side of the bed, taking her still-damp hair out of the messy bun she'd made earlier, and carefully crawled under the covers.

"… Lucy?" Freed whispered, not sure what to make of her actions.

Lucy smiled again. She moved Freed's arm and nestled herself into his side, laying her head on his shoulder. She was glad that she was able to lay on her right side so her injured face wouldn't be in pain. She wrapped her arm lightly around his torso and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Goodnight, Freed."

His cheeks were on fire as Lucy pressed her body against him. Her bare legs gently grazing against his. He tentatively wrapped his arm around her shoulders as her breathing evened out. When she didn't pull away from him, but moved closer and slid her leg over his, he let out a breath he hadn't known he was holding and pressed a soft kiss to her golden hair. "Goodnight, Lucy," he whispered as he drifted off to sleep.


	2. Heal

"You're sure Lucy and Freed are alright?" Wendy asked as she followed Laxus and his team to Lucy's place.

"Yeah, he was already bandaged up when we got there so we don't know how bad the injuries are," Laxus said with a scowl. He was starving, even though he ate breakfast before he left his house to meet up with the Raijinshuu and pick up the small Dragon Slayer. "His arms and torso were wrapped, so I can only assume that's where most of his injuries are."

Wendy nodded, then looked around and said, "Um, I thought we were going to Lucy's." They were walking towards the edge of Magnolia, and Lucy's apartment was only a few blocks from the guild. In the opposite direction.

"She moved."

Wendy frowned. She didn't remember Lucy moving, and she knew that the guild would have made a fuss about helping her if she had. Wendy could hardly remember the last time she really spent time with Lucy. It seemed the blonde was always out on missions, but Wendy had thought that she needed to take more to pay for her rent since she wasn't in a team, so she hadn't paid too much mind to Lucy's absence. They saw each other whenever they were in the guild, but Wendy was starting to realize that they hadn't spent any time together outside of that.

"She only told her old team and Master," Evergreen said softly, placing a hand on the young girl's shoulder. "We only know where she lives because Virgo took us there yesterday to talk with Lucy, and see that Freed was going to be okay." She smiled fondly as she remembered how Lucy had treated the Rune mage the day before, and how he had responded to her. It was so strange to see him actually express his emotions—aside from losing his mind over Laxus from time to time—and Evergreen couldn't help but like the fact that Lucy was the one to save him.

"Well, what about Lucy's injuries? You said she doesn't really want me to heal her…" It broke Wendy's heart that her friend, the woman she saw as an older sister and sometimes a mother, wouldn't want her help. It was what Wendy was good at, and she wanted to ease Lucy's pain any way she could. The rejection she felt that Lucy wouldn't want her made her eyes water.

Laxus sighed and looked at Evergreen. He could smell the small girl's tears, but he wasn't always the best when it came to consoling people. That was Ever's job. Evergreen turned to Bickslow, handing him the grocery bags they were taking to Lucy's—Laxus had insisted they buy the food they were going to be having for breakfast, since there would be a lot of them visiting. "Wendy," Evergreen whispered, pulling the blunette to a stop and signaling for Laxus and Bickslow to keep going.

Wendy looked up and stared into the dark brown orbs of the Fairy mage, feeling a small tear trickle down her cheek.

"Lucy knows that you're a great healer, but she's…" Evergreen sighed, not knowing how to phrase it so that Wendy didn't misunderstand her. "A lot has happened in the last few months for her, and not all of it was good. She's kept it bottled up, and feels like any scars she'll have from this experience  _have_  to be there to remind her of her mistakes."

"But, that's not Lucy at all. She always moves past everything and smiles. She's always happy… Lucy would never want to have a scar on her body!"

"Then you see how much she's changed. I don't know her well enough to make any assumptions about it, and it's not my place." They started walking again, slowly catching up to Laxus and Bickslow as Evergreen continued. "As for her injuries, I'll tell you what she wants you to heal first, and then everything else, alright?"

"How bad is it?" Wendy asked meekly.

"It looks worse than it is, based on how she's acted. She was blocking out most of the pain last night, but before we left it seemed like it wasn't working anymore. She wants you to heal her ribs—they're cracked, maybe broken, but I couldn't tell. Since she was blocking out the pain, she couldn't tell me if it hurt to breathe."

"That's all she wants me to do?"

"Yes. She has lacerations from a whip on her ribs as well, but doesn't want you to do anything about them."

"Because she wants to have scars…" Wendy said softly, furrowing her brow as she tried to figure out what could have made her friend so different from before.

"Exactly. The worst injury, and I'm hoping you can convince her to let you fix it, is on her face."

Wendy stopped. "Her… f-face?" Lucy's bright smile flashed into her mind. Her face was angelic, and Wendy had always admired Lucy's beauty.  _She wants a scar on her face?_  Her mind reeled at the idea of it. There was no way Lucy would want something like that. No way at all. It had to be a joke.

Evergreen sighed softly and pushed lightly on Wendy's shoulders to get her to keep walking. "Yes, her face. She said that when she was getting hit with the whip, her opponent used that as a distraction to try and finish her with Freed's sword. Lucy dodged as best as she could, but she said that she hesitated, and the woman she was fighting took the opportunity to slash her face open."

"Lucy…" Wendy whispered softly.

"It goes from her hair to her chin, across her eye. She did ask that you heal her eye though," Bickslow said as the girls caught up. "Guess she wants to make sure she doesn't go blind."

Wendy nodded. "It's not much, and I'd rather make it so she doesn't have a single scar on her, but I'll do whatever she asks."

"You're a great kid, you know that?" Laxus whispered, his voice loud enough for only Wendy to hear. He smirked as he saw a small smile light up her face and a blush on her cheeks. "We're here. Ever, you got the key?"

"It's pretty quiet inside. Are you sure they're still here?" Wendy asked, looking to Laxus as Evergreen unlocked and opened the door.

Laxus listened as they quietly walked into the entryway. He could hear two heartbeats that didn't belong to their little group, and steady, relaxed breathing. When he made his way into the living room, he didn't see Blondie anywhere.  _Maybe she has a spare room we didn't know about,_  he thought as he crept through the house. "Go put the groceries away, I'll find them. Sounds like they're still sleeping," he whispered as he walked away from the group. He walked down the narrow hallway, passing the arch that led to the dining room and a door that turned out to be a linen closet. The only door that was left was the bedroom that Freed had been in the night before. It was open, but he couldn't see anything out of the ordinary in the room, and the bed was still out of his view.

"Everything alright?" Bickslow whispered just behind Laxus.

He gave his teammate a short nod, but stared intently at the doorway. He rolled his eyes as he heard Evergreen huff in annoyance. Then, he slowly walked into the room, and his mouth dropped at the sight before him.

Lucy's blonde hair was fanned out around her on the pillow, parts of it mingling with Freed's light green. Her arm was lying on his chest, but her hand held a section of Freed's hair gently between her fingers. Her head was lying on his least injured shoulder, and Laxus could see that the gash on her face had started to scab overnight. It was definitely a surprise to see Freed and Lucy sleeping in the same bed, more so seeing her draped across him with their legs tangled together under the blanket. The most shocking part of the whole thing though was that Freed's arms were wrapped loosely around Lucy—one wrapped around her back and pulling her waist closer to him while the other hanging limply on her hip, the fingers barely cupping her rear—and his face was nestled in her hair, a small smile on his parted lips.

"Oh my Mavis," Evergreen whispered breathily. She had never pictured Freed with anyone, and had especially never thought that she would see him in such an intimate position. There was only a content and happy look on his sleeping face as he laid there, as if everything he had gone through while he was a prisoner hadn't happened. She gasped when Lucy moved a little, noticing that everyone had gone still as well.

Laxus' eyes nearly bugged out of his head when Blondie mumbled in her sleep. One word.  _Freed_. It was breathy, but not sultry or a moan, almost as if she was talking to him while she slept. It was innocent. When Lucy had stopped moving, a smile creeping across her face as she sighed happily, Laxus knew they should let the two sleep.  _Let them have some peace for a change,_  he thought. He turned and motioned for everyone to go back into the living room.

"Well, that was different," Ever said as she heard the bedroom door close and sat on the couch.

"Seriously, never knew Freed would get Cosplayer into bed," Bickslow quipped, his tongue hanging from his mouth.

"How about we make breakfast for everyone and wake them up when it's ready?" Wendy asked, happy that there was still something she could do for Lucy while she was injured. Even if it wasn't healing.

Seeing the excitement and hope in Wendy's eyes, Evergreen stood up with a grin and went about making everyone something to eat with the blunette in tow.

* * *

Lucy slowly woke up, wincing as her head and ribs throbbed in pain. She felt something warm and hard pressed to her chest, and wondered why her bed was so firm. She took a deep breath, regretting it as her ribs protested, and smelled something interesting. She couldn't place it, almost as if it was a strange combination of books and something darker—like darkness itself, if that had a smell. Whatever the smell was, she was enjoying it and moved closer to the source. She heard a soft sigh, and felt warm air cascading over her head, and her eyes opened to see nothing but green.  _Green? What the—_. Her thoughts were cut off as the previous night flashed through her mind. Her mission, Freed being tortured, saving him.  _His team came by, I broke down after he had a nightmare, and then I…_  She had crawled into bed with Freed to help him sleep better, to try and get rid of his nightmares so he could have a peaceful night. Her heart started racing as she tried to figure out what to do.

Freed never knew he could feel so content. He had slept peacefully once Lucy was by his side, and he was grateful that her presence had stopped those haunting images from plaguing him. He would never forget what he had endured, but the small reprieve that she had granted him made him feel revitalized in a way he never thought possible. He blushed as he realized the position they were laying in, his arms wrapped around her and his fingers brushing against her rear, her soft and supple body pressed so closely to him, fitting perfectly in his embrace.  _Lucy curled up to me before she fell asleep, so I guess this must not be too embarrassing,_  he tried to reason with himself. He had woken up just as his team walked out of the room, catching the briefest glimpse of Laxus' coat as the door closed. He never wanted this moment to end, closing his eyes again in hopes of prolonging the inevitable.

When Lucy felt something in her hand, she ran her fingers through it experimentally.  _His hair? Even while I'm sleeping I touch his hair…_  She smiled at how soft it was, unable to stop herself from continuing her ministrations on the strands she held. Lucy slowly pushed herself up onto her elbow, making sure Freed's arms stayed wrapped around her.  _Is his hand on MY BUTT?!_ , she squealed internally. She didn't know whether or not she cared, and just ignored it for the time being while she watched his sleeping face. Lucy smiled at how tranquil Freed seemed, because it was the polar opposite of what she had witnessed the night before. She gave a light giggle as she brushed his hair out of his face again, noting that it was always his bangs on the right that covered his eye. Her nails kept dragging lightly across his scalp and when his head turned toward her, his lips barely brushing against her arm, she stopped and held her breath.

Freed frowned, his eyebrows drawing together when Lucy stopped running her fingers through his hair. He was fully enjoying the freedoms she took with his hair, and wondered why he had never let anyone do it before. Evergreen had begged him, just to see what it felt like, and he had refused; though, now he couldn't understand why. He mumbled something unintelligible, and gave Lucy a light squeeze—making sure he didn't hurt her ribs—to show his disappointment.

Lucy smiled down at him, thinking he seemed so different and carefree like this. Once she started massaging his scalp again, she giggled when he smiled.  _He's like a little kid about this, pouting when he doesn't get his way._  Lucy decided to have some fun with him, wondering if he was still sleeping or just comfortable around her, and stopped her fingers again.

"Mmm," Freed whispered as he pouted again. "Don't stop, Lucy. Feels good."

Lucy's eyes widened as she looked down at Freed. He cuddled closer to her, rubbing his nose up and down her arm while he laid on the bed. "… Freed?" she whispered, still not sure if he was awake. Well, she was sure he was awake, but refused to believe it.

Freed's eyes slowly opened and he immediately met her gaze. He didn't look anywhere but into her eyes, completely ignoring the gash that she hadn't covered. "Morning," he whispered with a soft smile, his voice gravelly from the screams he'd let loose during his torture and from sleep.

Lucy felt a part of her heart melt at the look on his face, and she couldn't help but smile in return. "Good morning, Freed. How did you sleep?"

Freed whispered, "Great, once you were here." A blush crept across his cheeks and then he let out a small laugh.

Lucy's head tilted to the side and she asked, "What's so funny?" A matching blush crept across her own cheeks as she continued to look into his eyes.

"I think this is the best morning I've had in a long time. It's very relaxing," he whispered, then looked up to where her hand was still touching his hair.

Lucy's blush deepened and she stuttered, getting ready to pull her hand away. "O-Oh well… I w-was just… Um…"

Freed squeezed her again chuckling at her reaction. "You have my permission to run your hands through my hair whenever you wish, Lucy."

She gaped at him and said, "Really? Y-You don't think it's…"

"Odd?" he asked, smiling again when she nodded. "No, Evergreen has been asking me for years, and I still won't let her near it."

Lucy's good eyebrow rose in question as she said, "Why not?"

"I'm not sure. I usually don't like people being near me," he said, his brows scrunching together in thought.  _So why is it that Lucy can do it without aggravating me?_

Lucy giggled, and rubbed her finger between his eyebrows until he relaxed. "It's far too early for deep thinking, Mr. Justine." When Lucy noticed him tense she amended, "Okay, it's far too early for deep thinking,  _Freed._ "

He stared at her in awe.  _How did she know I don't like being called that?_ 'Mr. Justine' was what Freed's father was called, and he was nothing like his father. Freed had spent so much of his time perfecting his stoic mask that he didn't realize it had slipped. Breaking free from his thoughts, he smiled at her and nodded. "It is  _definitely_  too early for that."

Lucy had no idea what to do with herself. She looked way from Freed with another blush. She was suddenly very aware of the position they were in; his thumb rubbing slow circles on her hip, his other hand gently touching her injured ribs, his fathomless green eyes looking up at her, their legs still wrapped around one another. She didn't want to accept the comfort and warmth that spread through her at his touch. She knew it wouldn't last, just like everything else in her life. She thought back to the night before, and remembered that she had kissed his cheek before falling into a peaceful slumber. His cheek had been so soft and warm when her lips pressed against it, and she had blushed then. What was strange though was that she had actually slept through the night. She hadn't had a single nightmare, and it confused her.

"Lucy," Freed whispered. She had withdrawn into herself, her smile disappearing and her nose scrunching up in concentration when she looked away. "I believe someone said it was too early for deep thinking."

Lucy looked back at him and her eyes softened. "You're right, but I'm confused about something." When she saw that his eyebrows had raised slightly in question, she sighed. "It's probably nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," Freed said as he watched her expression go from happy and carefree—an expression that he had hardly seen from her of late—to carefully guarded, much like his own usually was. "Would you care to tell me about it?"

Lucy stared at him, her eyes wide in astonishment that he would even care to know what was bothering her. "I… Well…" She didn't know what to say, didn't know if she wanted to open up to him like she had with her friends before. Their absence in her life had left such a large hole, and she couldn't bear letting someone in again just for him to leave. She dropped her head, then moved to lay back down on his shoulder, wrapping her arm around his waist like she had the night before. She grabbed a few strands of his hair and twirled it between her fingers as she thought.

"You don't have to talk to me about it," he said, his hand moving up of its own accord to rub lightly over her back. "But, if you wanted to, I would listen."

"You… would?" she asked in a whisper.

"Yes, I would. After everything you've done for me, it's the least I can do. Even then, it wouldn't be enough to repay you for saving my life," he said solemnly.

"I didn't have any nightmares last night…" she admitted quietly.

If he hadn't been listening for her to say something, he would have missed it. It was barely more than a breath, but he heard it just the same. "Do you have them often?"

Lucy sighed.  _I opened up to Laxus and his team last night, maybe I can trust them. Maybe I can trust Freed._  Trust. It was a word that had held so much weight in her life before, and it was something she had freely given. Lucy couldn't remember the last time she fully trusted someone, probably not since her team had split up. She decided to take a leap of faith and put some of her trust in Freed. He had helped her the night before when she broke down, so maybe… just maybe, she could trust him. "Every night. Without fail. Every time I sleep. Even if I wake up in the middle of the night, when I finally close my eyes again, it starts all over. Sometimes it picks up where it left off…"

Freed frowned at her revelation.  _Every night?_  "When did it start?"

"When I was a kid. After my mom died, my father grew distant. I'd have nightmares about her suffering or just of me being alone, but I couldn't talk to him about them. I was always alone, and my nightmares ended up becoming a reality. Then, after I joined Fairy Tail and the whole Phantom Lord thing happened, I'd have nightmares about whoever my most recent torturer was…"

"And they never stopped?"

"No. Well, they weren't as bad when my team was still together. Erza and I would stay up late eating junk food. Gray would just sit and let me talk. Natsu used to break into my house and sleep in my bed, especially when he had a nightmare himself." She frowned, not wanting Freed to think what the rest of the guild thought of her relationship with Natsu, she added, "Before you say anything, no. Nothing  _ever_  happened between me and Natsu. We were just friends."

He gave her a sad smile, even though she couldn't see it. "I wasn't going to say anything close to that. But, aren't you still friends with him? And your team?"

Lucy looked up into Freed's eyes then, resting her chin on his chest. "Not really. Master split our team up because they were too destructive, so I've been working solo. When I moved, I told them in case they wanted to come over, but no one has been by and that was a little over a month ago. We only really see each other in the guild."

"I am very sorry to hear that," he whispered. When she was silent for a minute, he said, "What are your nightmares about? Still your past torturers?" He couldn't explain why, but he wanted to know more about the woman he held in his arms.  _I'm surprised she hasn't pulled away yet._

"No, my first solo mission. I failed it. Well, the mission itself was a success, but I still feel like I failed." When Freed only looked at her, a gleam in his eyes that said she could continue if she wanted, she laid her head back down and watched his hair twirl between her fingers. "There was a dark mage that had poisoned a young boy. I had to find the antidote and stop the mage. Which is where the mission was a success. The only problem is that he had captured a woman from another town and was torturing her when I found him. By the time I got to her after defeating him, she had bled out and died." Her voice had started to quiver. This was the story she had wanted to tell to Erza, in the hopes of her redheaded friend helping her work through it. "If I'd been stronger… Defeated him faster… Or figured out where he was sooner… She wouldn't have died. She would be with her family. When I went back for her body—I was going to take it to the town so they could find out who she was—she had been eaten by wolves. I never knew her name, and her family will never know what happened to her. And it's my fault…"

Freed's grip on Lucy tightened as her story continued. It was almost as if he was holding her together while she quietly cried against his chest. "It's not your fault, Lucy," he whispered into her hair. "I've been there, I know how you feel. But you can't blame yourself for his actions, or for the possibilities that could have come to fruition if you had been better equipped to handle the situation." He pressed a single soft kiss to her golden hair and said, "All you can do is learn from your experiences. If you're weak, then you can train to become stronger. If you're slow, then you can train to be faster. If you didn't solve the puzzle quickly enough, then you simply hone your skills until you can do it with ease."

"Freed…" Lucy whispered, hugging tighter against his chest as tears continued to cascade down her cheeks. Something about his words, the intensity in his voice as he spoke to her, gave her a sense of comfort. She had missed feeling like this, but she knew it wouldn't last. Nothing ever did.

"I can tell you one thing, Lucy. I don't know as much about you as your old team, but I do know that you are strong, brave, intelligent, and compassionate. You proved that last night. Your strength and bravery when you defeated all of the people that held me captive on your own. Your intelligence when you broke me out of that prison. Your compassion when you brought me here and cared for me—not just in tending my wounds, but also agreeing to stay here so I could sleep. I'm very curious to know how you accomplished all of that, but that's not the point." He raised her chin, forcing her to look at him. When she stared into his eyes, he wiped her tears away and said, "The point is that I admire you."

Lucy's breath caught in her throat, her eyes wide as she looked at Freed. She didn't care about how confused she was, or any of her other problems. His words had struck a chord in her, and that last sentence made her lean forward and press her lips to his. It was painful for her, the gash on her face still barely healed and pulling as her lips touched his. It wasn't what she had imagined her first kiss would be; it was painful, and happened after pouring her heart out over her failure and having someone give her a sliver of hope to hold onto. She hardly knew Freed, aside from what she had gleaned based on her few interactions with him, but something about kissing him felt right. When he didn't respond to her, Lucy pulled back and blushed. "I'm sorry… I just…" She sighed.  _I'm an idiot. He was just trying to make me feel better. He's not interested in me that way. Way to go, Lucy._  "I should probably—"

"Why?" Freed asked, wide-eyed. "Why me?" His mind had completely crashed to a halt when her lips, her soft and still injured lips, brushed across his. He couldn't understand what Lucy would see in someone like him. If it wasn't bad enough that he was nowhere near deserving of her affection, there was also his magic—the darkness in him that slithered around and tainted everything he touched. His father's words and teachings rattled around in his mind, saying that they were taking things too quickly, that he wasn't good enough, and that mages could never be happy. When he had finally pushed all of the negative emotions away and searched himself for what he truly wanted—whether he wanted to kiss her back—it was a glaring yes. She had pulled away too quickly for him to respond with his lips, and the rejection in her eyes that she had quickly masked had pierced his heart.

"What do you mean, 'why me'?" Lucy asked softly, his rejection of her still stinging her pride.

"I… Well, I mean…"

"Freed, don't worry about it," Lucy whispered.  _I gave my first kiss to someone that didn't want it…_

As Lucy tried to move away from him, he whispered, "Wait. I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, Freed. I shouldn't have kissed you when you're clearly not interested. I understand," Lucy said as she looked away from him.

"That's not it," Freed said, gently turning her face back to his. "I was surprised, and I don't understand why you would want to kiss someone like me." It was his turn to be embarrassed.

Her eyes hardened when she said, "Someone like you? What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure I can explain it, and that is something that irks me to no end. The best word I can use to describe it, and it doesn't even scratch the surface, would be inadequate."

"Freed, you're far from inadequate. Just like you don't know much about me, I also don't know much about you. What I do know is that you're resilient, stubborn,  _very_  intelligent, reserved, but most of all, you're an absolute sweetheart. You care more deeply than you let people see, and for the first time in a  _very_ long time you've made me feel like I'm not alone. So, how can the smartest man in the guild feel as though he's—"

Freed leaned up and closed the distance between them, touching her lips with his ever so slightly so he didn't cause her any more pain than necessary. His hand left her hip and slid up her back to cup her cheek. Slowly, still very carefully, he moved his lips against hers, and felt pride swell in him when she leaned into his touch and kissed him back. Sooner than he would have liked, he ended the kiss and looked into her dazed expression. He ran a finger across her injured lips, frowning that they had been hurt by his own weapon.

Lucy grimaced, feeling embarrassed for the first time that she had a wound on her face. "Sorry," she whispered.

"No, I should be apologizing to you. It was my blade that marred your flesh; even if it wasn't by my own hand, I feel responsible."

Lucy shook her head at him and blushed. "It's not your fault."

"Why are you blushing, Lucy?" Freed asked with a small smirk, trying not to let his guilt ruin the moment.

"W-Well, I never thought that my first kiss would be like this…" Lucy said shyly.

 _First kiss?_  Freed nodded. "I agree, the circumstances are not traditional."

"No, that's not it. I always figured it would be something 'not traditional,' considering my version of traditional is what I was taught growing up, and I left that behind… but I never thought it would be painful…"

Freed frowned, then looked at her lips again.  _Of course it would be painful for her, my sword cut across her lips._  He looked back up into Lucy's eyes and said, "Would you allow me to remedy that in the future?"

Lucy's head cocked to the side, her brows furrowing in confusion. "What do you mean?"

Freed blushed, then pushed away his fear and said, "If you would allow it, I would be willing to give you a proper first kiss after you have healed." His courage quickly left as he averted his gaze, and his cheeks burnt.

"I would definitely allow it, Freed," Lucy whispered with a smile. She didn't care if it was painful, she gave him her brilliant smile and let her happiness finally touch her eyes. "But, I have a question."

Freed turned to look back at her, dazzled by her beauty when she smiled at him. "And, what might that be?"

"Just what are your intentions?" she said, donning her mock-serious expression, pretending to be her father during a business transaction. "Are you planning on giving me just that one kiss so I know what it's supposed to be like? Because if not, then there are rules that  _must_  be followed."

"Rules?" he asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yes, Freed.  _You_  of all people understand rules," she said with a soft smile. "But you never answered my question."

He chuckled at her small homage to his own magic and said, "I have only the purest of intentions, Lucy."

"And my second question?" she challenged, raising her uninjured brow.

Freed blushed. "I believe you may have to explain the rules to me," he whispered with a bashful smile.

"Rule number one is more of a riddle," Lucy said firmly, then smiled back at him. "There is a question you need to ask me. I have never been directly asked this question before. Out of everyone I have ever met, I would answer yes to you alone."

Freed grinned at her. "Well, I do enjoy a puzzle. Give me just a moment to make sure I get the answer correct." He chuckled at her while she nodded fervently. He thought over the riddle she had given him. Not only was it telling him what he had to do, but it also gave him insight into the person behind the riddle. She had never been asked the question and would only say yes to him out of everyone she knew. He puzzled through it, turning the words over in his head and rearranging the sentences to make sure his logic wasn't flawed. When he came to his final conclusion, his eyes widened as he stared at her.

Lucy giggled and said, "Do you have an answer to my riddle?"

 _I hope I'm right._ "I believe so, Lucy," he whispered as he searched her eyes for a hint to what the answer might be. "Although, I would like one small hint before I give my answer, just so I know I've come to the right conclusion."

"Hm, very well, Freed. One hint." She thought for a moment, then smirked. "It isn't a hint, but more of a re-wording, will that do?"

Freed nodded, curious to see what she would say.

"As a result of your question to me, the answer to the riddle, there will be a benefit," she said, watching him to make sure he was following her.

"May I know what that benefit is?" he asked in a whisper.  _Who would have thought Lucy's little game would make her more attractive?_  He was in absolute awe of this woman. She had tons of positive characteristics, but the most intriguing was the way her mind worked. And her ability to challenge him intellectually with confidence.

"Of course, Freed. That's the other half of the hint," she said with a smirk still plastered on her face. "You have given me permission to do something. Something you wouldn't normally do. With the question asked, I'll give  _you_  permission. But, for something I've only done with… you."

"You made that rhyme on purpose, didn't you?" he asked her softly, though his eyes showed his amusement.

Lucy giggled and gave him a nod. "So, what's your answer to my riddle, Freed?"

"Hm," he said, "Let's see. A question you've never been directly asked, and would only tell me yes. The benefit of my asking is permission to do something you have only done with me. Is that correct?" he whispered with a smile.

Lucy couldn't believe how excited she had become by a simple word game, her breath barely making it into her lungs as she waited for him to answer her riddle. She could only manage a nod as she looked hopefully into his eyes.

"I'm sure I know the answer, then. Lucy," Freed said softly, smiling as he watched her smile widen. He leaned up and whispered into her ear, "Would you be my girlfriend?"

Lucy grinned widely at him. "I'm sorry, Freed." She threw her head back dramatically as she said, "That is incorrect!"

His jaw dropped.  _Wrong? How can I be wrong?!_  There were very few times in Freed's life that he had gotten an answer wrong. "I don't understand… How is that possible?"

Lucy laughed, placing a soft kiss on his cheek to let him know she wasn't laughing at his answer to her riddle. Her heart had, in fact, skipped a beat when he asked her to be his girlfriend. "I have two things to say, but first I'd like to know how you came to your answer."

Freed nodded absently, then said, "I had assumed that you had never been directly asked to be someone's girlfriend. It seems as though most people don't actually ask, but have some sort of unspoken agreement. Or, they wonder about their relationship. As for the hint you gave me…" He paused, still so confused that he had answered her riddle incorrectly. "By asking you to be my girlfriend, I would have permission to do something you have only done with me. The first thing that came to mind was a kiss."

Lucy nodded, her wide grin morphing into a sly smile. "Well, Freed. You're logic  _is_  sound. The only problem is that someone has previously asked me to be their girlfriend, to which I promptly declined.  _That_  is where you went wrong." She paused, reveling in the confusion that she had caused him. Lucy could tell that he was rarely wrong, and it gave her a great boost in confidence that she had been able to stump him. He nodded, and then she continued. "The correct answer was: 'May I kiss you?' No one has ever asked if they could kiss me, and I would only say yes to you. By asking if you could kiss me, you would be granted permission to do it. Your conclusion about the hint was right; the only person who knows what it's like to kiss me is you."

Freed smiled ruefully at her, "It seems you've outsmarted me, Lucy."

"Oh, but I'm not finished. I said that I had  _two_  things to say to you. The first was the answer to my riddle." She leaned in close to him and whispered, "The second is the answer to your question."

He was speechless. When she had said that he was wrong, he had assumed that she would refuse to answer the question he had asked. He gaped at her, not knowing what to do while he waited for her answer.

"My answer, Freed… Is yes," Lucy said, pulling back to smile at him.

"Y-Yes?"

Lucy nodded quickly. "That is, if you really meant the question you asked me…"

Freed's stupor was broken. He gave her a sly grin and said, "Lucy, words are  _very_ important to me. I do not say  _anything_  without meaning it, just as it is with my magic."

"Even when it comes to a silly riddle?"

"Even then. I asked you a question, with the intent on fulfilling the requirements of your answer."

"I see… Well, then there's only one thing we can do now," Lucy said softly.

"And, what might that be?"

"Reap the benefits of your question," Lucy said huskily as she leaned back down to capture his lips in a soft kiss.

* * *

"Breakfast is ready," Wendy said as she walked into the living room. She looked expectantly at Laxus and Bickslow, waiting for one of them to go and get Lucy and Freed while Evergreen finished in the kitchen.

Bickslow quickly touched his nose with his forefinger, then grinned with his tongue hanging from his mouth. He laughed when Wendy followed suit and looked to Laxus.

Laxus sighed, and said, "Bix, you're such a kid. Wendy, I'll let it slide this time." He smirked when she blushed, and stood up to make his way back to Lucy's bedroom. He paused mid-stride not even two steps away from the couch, and listened to the conversation the two mages were having.

"Everything alright, bossman?" Bickslow said, standing up and getting ready to set the table with Wendy.

"Uh-huh," Laxus muttered, turning his shocked expression back to face the other guests.

"What, are they getting freaky back there?" Bickslow asked with a laugh.

"Bickslow, watch your mouth! Wendy's here!" Evergreen said sternly, walking into the living room.

Laxus shook his head, staring at the floor in amazement.

"Then what is it?" Bickslow said, rubbing the back of his head where Evergreen had smacked him with a wooden spoon.

"Blondie and Freed are awake," Laxus said softly.

"Well we figured that much out…"

"She asked him a riddle."

The three other mages stared at Laxus, waiting for him to elaborate. "… And?" Evergreen finally huffed.

Laxus looked her dead in the eyes and said, "He got it wrong…"

There was a collective gasp from the group. "But, Freed doesn't get shit like that wrong," Bickslow finally muttered.

"I know. He's usually really careful about th—OH wow!" If Laxus widened his eyes any more, they would fall out of his head. He hadn't heard Freed's answer to the riddle, but the guy's explanation for his answer had shocked Laxus. If that wasn't bad enough, Blondie had told Freed exactly why he was wrong, and then answered his question anyway.

"What is it?" Evergreen asked, growing concerned by Laxus' silence and shock.

"Uh, nothing," Laxus said quickly. "None of our business. So, you guys set the table, and I'm gonna go get them."  _And then never take my soundpods off again…_  Laxus' enhanced hearing was definitely a blessing when it came to battles, but it was a curse when he was in a house with people having a private conversation. He'd intentionally ignored anything they had talked about when he heard Freed and Lucy wake up, deciding that they might be discussing how they were sleeping. He was glad he had ignored them when he smelled tears, and it was only the break in his concentration from talking to Wendy and Bickslow that had caused him to hear the new couple talking again. He took his time walking down the hallway, then took a deep breath before knocking on the door.

"Come in," Lucy's muffled voice rang out.

Laxus opened the door and looked at Freed and Lucy. Their position hadn't changed much from when he had been in there the first time, except that Lucy was propped on her elbow and playing with Freed's hair. They both smiled at him, and it was the first time he had seen Freed smile, without trying to mask it, over something other than Laxus. He smirked at the two on the bed and said, "Well, breakfast is ready when you guys are done making out." He laughed at the shocked and blushing faces he received and walked back down the hallway.

"I'm gonna kill him," Lucy whispered, dropping her head to Freed's shoulder.

Freed chuckled and said, "It would have been suspicious for him to say it any differently, Lucy."

Lucy sighed and said, "True. Let's get out there and have some food. I bet you're famished."

Freed nodded and they carefully made their way to meet with their friends.

They had all agreed that they would eat breakfast together, then let Wendy heal Freed and Lucy. If the two were feeling up to making the trip down to the guild, then they would all go together to talk with Master Makarov. Lucy had been adamant about it, saying that she didn't want to have to tell her story more than once. She then looked at Freed and said that it would be less difficult for him to recount any painful experiences during his captivity if he didn't have to continually dwell on it while he repeated the same story over and over. He had thankfully grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together, though no one commented on the small action.

"Alright, let's remove the bandages and see what I need to heal, Freed," Wendy said softly. It was still surprising to the rest of the group that Wendy was capable of being a shy and timid girl until it came time to heal someone. Once her help was needed, Wendy instantly became a different person. She was confident, stern, and direct, showing everyone around her that she knew what she was doing.

Once the bandages were gone, Wendy frowned at the amount of scars that littered his torso. She wouldn't be able to do anything to repair that damage, but the fresh wounds could be healed with no scarring left.

"Please be careful, Wendy," Freed said gently. He look right into her eyes and said, "My magic is very closely related with darkness. I have never been healed by you before, so I don't know if there will be any negative side effects to your lighter magic healing me."

Wendy considered his words for a moment, then nodded. "I'll start with a shallow cut, and see how it goes." She knelt in front of him as he sat on the couch and placed a single hand to his chest. She focused her magic into her hands, letting it flow into him in short pulses as she tested for any negative reaction. She repeated the process several more times, moving on to deeper lashes and gradually allowing more power to flow into him. After they were both satisfied that he would experience nothing negative, Wendy healed him completely.

She wiped the small beads of sweat from her brow and looked over Freed once more. His wrists had been badly damaged from the shackles she had been told about. His chest, arms, and back were littered with whip marks. Everything was healed. Wendy smiled at the stoic mage and turned to Lucy. "So, they told me you only want me to heal your ribs and eye, but not touch the cuts. Is that right, Lucy?"

Lucy thought for a moment, then said, "You can heal the cuts, but not completely. I was serious when I said I deserve to have scars as a reminder. They were gained from battle, and they are from mistakes that I made."  _Plus, the sooner my lips are healed, the sooner I can get that proper kiss from Freed._

Wendy nodded again and said, "I'll work on your ribs first." Lucy removed her shirt, still not caring who was in the room; however, she did smirk a little when she saw the deep blush on Freed's cheeks as he looked away from her.

"Freed, I think it's alright if you look at Cosplayer," Bickslow said with a chuckle at his friend's propriety.

Freed quickly shook his head, refusing to look anywhere near Lucy while she was shirtless. Freed's upbringing had hammered home the idea of modesty, and also that a gentleman doesn't ogle women. Even though Lucy was his girlfriend, he still wasn't going to look at her in such a vulnerable state of dress; not until they had reached that point in their relationship.

"Bix has a point," Laxus said with a smirk. "We've all seen Blondie in a bikini, and she's wearing more than that right now. What's the difference?"

Evergreen swatted both of the lecherous pigs with her fan and said, "Don't be disgusting! I think it's sweet, Freed." She patted him softly on the knee, then sat back and glared at her other teammates.

"Okay, Lucy. The cuts on your ribs should heal in a couple of days on their own. Just so you know, you had four fractured ribs, one cracked, and two that were completely shattered," Wendy said firmly. "I don't like that you pushed yourself so hard while you had such intense injuries, but it's probably what saved Freed's life…" Her face brightened up immediately when she said, "So, I'll forgive you this time!"

Lucy sweatdropped at the sudden mood change. "I'll keep that in mind, Wendy." She quickly pulled her hair into a messy bun and put her shirt back on. Once she was decent, she grabbed Freed's hand and gave it a light squeeze, smiling softly when he turned to look at her. "Better?" she whispered.

He gave her a gentle smile, and nodded. As Wendy got ready to treat Lucy's eye, he felt her grip on his hand tighten out of anxiety, and he soothed her as best as he could by rubbing his thumb along her hand.

 _So sweet!_ , Evergreen thought as she watched Freed comfort Lucy.

"I'll start with your eye, and then we'll go from there, alright?" Wendy said as she inspected the damage to Lucy's left eye.

"Whatever you say, Wendy. I trust you," Lucy said with a half-smile.

"Okay, the damage isn't too bad, this shouldn't take long." Wendy gave Lucy a comforting smile then brought a single hand up and covered the injured eye. She focused her magic on the eye alone, and not the surrounding damaged tissue, then started to heal it.

Everyone jumped as Lucy screamed out in pain, pushing Wendy away from her and holding her face. There was a soft sizzling noise that could barely be heard over the blonde's whimpers and pants, and Freed quickly pulled her onto his lap. "Lucy are you alright?!"

"Shit, what just happened?" Laxus asked, helping Wendy up from the floor.

Burning tears ran down Lucy's face. If she had thought getting the slash on her face was painful, this was hell. She had been soothed by Wendy's magic as it flowed into her eye. Until it had started to burn. The heat had built up so quickly that she hadn't been able to say anything to Wendy. There was so much pain radiating from her eye that she felt as if she was going to be sick. She swallowed quickly, willing her body to keep her breakfast down, and felt Freed's arms wrap around her shoulders.

"I don't understand," Wendy said as she stood next to Laxus. "There shouldn't have been any problem healing her…"

Freed's eyes widened as he realized what went wrong.  _This is my fault. I should have figured it out sooner!_  "There was a problem, and I can't believe I didn't see it sooner."

"What's that?" Wendy asked, tears welling in her eyes at her inability to help Lucy. She had in fact caused her friend more pain, rather than easing it.

"Her wound came from my sword," Freed said sadly. "I told you my concern earlier about my magic mixing with yours. My sword is imbued with my magic."

"So, her wound has your magic in it?" Wendy asked, her brow furrowing as she tried to remember if Porlyusica had said anything about something like this before.

Freed sighed and nodded, then lowered his head in shame. "I'm so sorry, Lucy… I should have realized it sooner."

Lucy took deep breaths, gathering the pain she felt and locking it into a container inside of her just as Capricorn had taught her. Once it was completely sealed away, she sighed in relief and leaned into Freed's chest. "It's fine, Freed. I'm not upset with you," she said calmly. She kept her eyes closed, not knowing what she should do.

"Lucy," Wendy whispered. "Are you in any pain now?"

Lucy shook her head, still not opening in her eyes to look at Wendy.

"She's blocking it out again," Laxus said with a frown. He didn't understand how it was possible, but it didn't sit well with him that Lucy was refusing to feel pain and pushing herself past her limits. Pain was the body's way of telling you what your limits are, and the blonde was refusing to listen to her body.

Wendy smiled at Lucy and said, "I see you listened to Capricorn then. Loke told me about it a few months ago, saying that if more people knew how to do it, my job would be a lot harder."

Lucy smiled fondly and nodded. She didn't know how long she could keep her pain away from her, and couldn't bring herself to speak just in case it broke her concentration.

"So, now what?" Evergreen asked Wendy.

"I don't know. I'd have to see Lucy's eye again to see if I caused more damage to it. Lucy, can you please look at me?" Wendy said as she kneeled in front of the blonde on Freed's lap.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes, and looked at her feet. Everything looked normal. Her vision wasn't blurry anymore and she smiled. "Wendy," Lucy said happily, "I think I'll be fine. I can see normally." She looked over at her young blue-haired friend and furrowed her brow when she heard Wendy and Evergreen gasp. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, Lucy!" Wendy said, choking back a sob.

Lucy looked up worriedly at Laxus and Bickslow, and saw them both looking at her with shocked expressions. "What is it?!" she shouted.

Freed frowned at what was happening. He couldn't see Lucy's face since she was still sitting in his lap, but everyone's reactions were starting to concern him. "Lucy, look at me," he whispered.

Lucy slowly turned to look at Freed, hoping he would tell her what was wrong with her eye. It felt normal, and the pain she had locked away had dissipated. She felt a tear fall down her cheek as he looked at her, the same shocked expression on his face as Bickslow and Laxus.

 _Her eye… it's…_  He stared in wonder as he looked at her left eye. Instead of the normal brown of her iris, it was a light purple color. The sclera, which should have been white, was completely black, and her pupil was slitted vertically. It was beautiful. Absolutely breathtaking. "Lucy…" he whispered as he looked into that one eye, wondering how Wendy's attempt at healing the damage had changed it.

Lucy tore herself from Freed's grasp, and rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door and locking it behind her. She held the edge of the sink in a death grip as she gathered her courage to look at her reflection. She hadn't seen the damage that had been done to her face, only felt it with her fingers the night before as she cleaned the wound. Now that there was something clearly wrong, she had to see what it was for herself. She raised her head slowly, keeping her eyes lowered until she was facing the mirror. Her eyes opened, and she looked at her face in horror. The gash wasn't what concerned her. It would look different once it had become a scar, and she didn't care about that. She looked at her eye, and felt her breath coming in short, panicked pants. Her hand shot to her face, touching the cheek just under the cursed eye and she screamed.

It was loud—ear-piercing, shattering crystals, hear it from a mile away loud—and Freed ran over to the bathroom when he heard the terror and panic in it. He hardly registered that Laxus and Wendy had covered their ears and winced in pain, that Evergreen had started crying, or that Bickslow was just sitting there in shock. Freed's sole thought was getting to Lucy. "Lucy!" he shouted as he approached the door and jiggled the handle to no avail, "Lucy, open the door!"

Lucy dropped to the floor and cried into her hands. She didn't hear Freed's screams on the other side of the door, only her own panicked cries.

Freed saw his sword sitting in its sheath and propped up against her writing desk. He quickly pulled it free and wrote a small series of runes on the handle to unlock it. Once he got the door opened, he dropped the sword to the floor and walked in, closing the door behind him. He dropped to his knees in front of her, placing his hands gently on her shaking shoulders. "Lucy, look at me. Please look at me," he whispered. When she continued crying, his felt his heart begin to fragment. He pushed her hands out of the way and forced her chin up to face him. "Lucy!"

"W-Why should I l-l-look at you?" she asked through her sobs. "I'm… I'm…"

"More beautiful than I could have ever imagined," Freed whispered as he brushed her tears away.

"How c-can you s-say that? Look at me!" she shouted as she motioned towards her eye.

Freed smiled at her, pulled her hands to his lips and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. "Shall I show you?" he whispered. When she just kept crying, he said, "Dark Écriture."

Lucy had never seen Freed actually using his magic, she had only seen the effects of his runes. She stared as his right eye changed color, the sclera changing from white to black, and the iris and pupil becoming the same light purple as her own eye. She slowly raised her hand to touch his cheek, staring in wonder at what she saw. "That's…"

Freed leaned into her touch, cutting off his magic and letting his eye shift back to normal. "It seems something happened when Wendy's magic tried to heal your eye, and my suspicions that it was related to my sword being imbued with my magic have been confirmed."

"B-But… Why?" she whimpered, calming down slightly after seeing Freed's eye doing the same thing.

Freed pulled her closer to him, wrapping his arms firmly around her shoulders. "I don't know, but I will find out."

"… Do you really think it's beautiful?" Lucy whispered as the last of her tears fell. She wasn't even aware of the fact that she was pressed against his bare chest—the most skin contact she'd ever had with him. Excluding her bathing and dressing his wounds the night before.

"I do."

Lucy took a deep breath, glad that Wendy had healed her ribs so she wasn't sore, then looked up into Freed's smiling face. She leaned in, kissing him urgently and needing to feel the comfort he could give her. When they separated, slightly out of breath, she whispered, "Okay. Let's get back out there before they think I've lost my mind completely." They stood up together, and she went to the sink to wash away her tears, carefully drying her face. Lucy took one last look in the mirror, the gash on her face, the new eye she was sporting. It was strange, but she would just learn to live with it if they found out that it was irreversible.

When Lucy was ready, Freed laced his fingers with hers and they walked back into the living room. He led her back to the couch, and sat down with her curling up into his side, his arm draped across her shoulders and his fingers running up and down her arm to try and help her relax.

"Everything alright, Blondie?" Laxus asked carefully.

Lucy nodded, then said, "Sorry for scaring you guys like that. I guess I freaked out a little…"

Bickslow sat back and said, "It's fine. I think it's actually pretty cool!" His own eyes started to glow for the briefest of seconds before he laughed with his tongue hanging from his mouth.

"I wonder if it does anything special," Evergreen said earnestly, leaning forward in her seat.

Lucy blushed, then looked over at Wendy who was scowling at the floor. "Wendy, are you okay?" she asked softly.

Wendy shook her head and smiled at Lucy. "I'm fine, Lucy. I was trying to figure out why my magic would react that way with Freed's magic. I'm glad you're okay though, I was worried about you when you ran off…"

She smiled at her friend's concern and said, "I'll be alright, Wendy. Freed helped a lot." She looked up and giggled when she saw the blush on Freed's face. After nudging him slightly, she said, "You feeling up to going to speak with Master?"

Freed nodded with a smile.

Before the group could prepare to leave, there were two bright flashes of golden light in the middle of the room that revealed Loke and Virgo.

"Princess, I have finished with your request. Here are the garments you asked me to clean. There is also a shirt that closely resembles the one that he was wearing before you turned it into bandages," Virgo said as she rose from her bow. She placed Freed's jacket, pants, boots, and a new shirt on the coffee table with a soft smile.  _I see that my Princess has grown closer to him in such a short time._

"Lucy, my love!" Leo shouted as he knelt in front of Lucy, his eyes closed as he proclaimed his affections for her. "Let us run away and get marrie—" He stopped as his eyes opened and he saw her face. "Lucy! What happened?! You're hurt! Your eye! What happened to it?! Oh GOD!"

"Oi! Stop shouting, Playboy!" Laxus shouted, ready to zap the spirit for giving him a headache.

When Leo relaxed, knowing that Lucy wouldn't like it if he kept up with the hysterics and got struck by lightning, he looked at her again and frowned. "Why are you cuddled up to a shirtless Freed?"

Virgo suppressed a giggle as her eyes twinkled with mirth. She was also curious about what happened to her Princess' eye, but she wasn't going to press for more information when Leo was right there to do it for her.

Lucy and Freed blushed, having forgotten that he wasn't wearing a shirt due to his bandages, and hadn't put one on after being healed by Wendy.

"How was your date with Aries, Leo?" Lucy asked with a knowing smirk on her face. She laughed when the Zodiac leader blushed and sat down next to her on the couch. Lucy pouted and said, "You're not going to tell me? Fine… Virgo, how was his date with Aries?"

"Princess, big brother informed me that it was a truly magical evening," Virgo said with a smirk, glancing at a deeper blush on Leo's cheeks.

"Really…" Lucy said while pinning Leo with a knowing smirk.

"Yes, Princess. You should have seen the way he danced around after it was ov—"

"Alright, Virgo… she gets it…" Leo said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lucy laid her head contentedly on Freed's chest, playing with a lock of his hair as she said, "In answer to your questions. I found Freed being tortured, saved him and brought him back here, but got hurt in the process. Wendy tried to heal my eye, because when Freed's sword slashed my face it also caught my eye, and this happened. We don't know why, but it has something to do with mixing his magic with hers. As for me cuddling with a shirtless Freed? I'm allowed to cuddle with my boyfriend regardless of how little clothing he has on." Lucy finished with a blush, finally admitting to everyone in the room that they had become a couple.

"Boyfriend?" Leo asked softly. He eyed Freed carefully, then said, "Treat her right, Justine… Or you'll have more than just me coming after you."

Freed looked over at the Lion Spirit, keeping his face neutral to hide the anger that boiled within him at the insinuation that he would ever hurt Lucy. "I have no intention of treating Lucy poorly, Leo."

Lucy sighed and said, "Alright, well Freed and I should get ready, then we can go to the guild. Virgo, thank you for all of your help. Leo, thanks for your concern and tell Aries I said hi." As she got up to walk into the bedroom, she whirled around and said, "Leo! Can you do me a favor?!"

"Anything for my Princess," he said with a wink.

Lucy rolled her eyes and handed him the tome she had to find for her mission. "Can you turn in my mission for me, please? It's on the opposite side of town, and we still have to talk with Master about what happened."

Leo smiled at her, taking the book and tucking it under his arm. "Of course, Lucy. I'll leave your reward with Mira at the bar if you're still busy."

Lucy gave him a quick hug and thanked him again before he and Virgo disappeared.

* * *

The walk to the guild was uneventful. Lucy quickly figured out that Laxus had heard her conversation with Freed while they were still lying in bed, and the rest of their guests had figured out what was going on by how close they were over the course of the morning.

"Still can't believe she outsmarted you, Freed," Laxus said with a sidelong glance at his green-haired friend.

"How did you do it, Lucy?" Evergreen asked. "We've been trying to figure out how to do it for  _forever_!"

Lucy giggled and looked at Freed, silently asking if she should tell them. When he simply responded with a shrug and a small smile, she said, "It's all in the wording, Ever."

"Huh?" Evergreen asked, quirking her eyebrow. Internally, she was giddy that Lucy felt comfortable enough around her to use her nickname.

Lucy rolled her eyes and walked slightly ahead of the group, pulling her hand from Freed's, and turning around so she could face them while walking backwards. "Logic is based on words, and when dealing with  _this one_ ," she pointed to Freed playfully, "Logic is key, therefore words are key. Changing the order of a sentence or specific words used  _in_  the sentence can completely change the meaning if done incorrectly. Also," she glanced at Freed and smirked, "If you take into account the biases of the person who is interpreting those words, they can have an entirely different meaning. So, if you want to outsmart Freed—which I highly doubt he'll make the same mistake twice—then you have to pay attention to your word choice." Lucy finished with a smile and a shrug. It was simple to her, and she had thoroughly enjoyed telling him he was wrong.

"So… you tricked him?" Bickslow said slowly, his furrowed brow hidden behind his visor.

Lucy shrugged again. "No. Not really. I even gave him a hint."

"You reworded a previous statement to make it fit in with the original riddle," Freed said with a proud smirk.

"What was the riddle anyway? I wanna see if I can figure it out," Bickslow said with determination. Evergreen and Wendy nodded and looked expectantly at Lucy.

Lucy grinned. "Fine, but Laxus can't help since he already heard the answer." When the group had nodded, she said, "There is a question you need to ask me. I have never been directly asked this question before. Out of everyone I have ever met, I would answer yes to you alone."

Bickslow, Wendy, and Evergreen thought for a minute, then Wendy said, "What was the hint?"

Lucy's smiled turned devious, "As a result of your question to me, the answer to the riddle, there will be a benefit." She paused and blushed as she continued, "You have given me permission to do something. Something you wouldn't normally do. With the question asked, I'll give  _you_  permission. But, for something I've only done with… you."

The group walked in silence. The three mages kept mulling over what the answer could be while Lucy fell back into step next to Freed, placing her hand in his. Laxus just walked with a smirk on his face.  _So that's what Blondie did… Freed picked a good one._

"Ugh! Lucyyyy, what's the answer?!" Evergreen shouted.

"Take a guess, Ever. I'll tell you when Wendy and Bickslow have given me their answers," Lucy said with a smile. She hopped up onto the edge of the canal as they walked past her old apartment, waving to the fishermen as they told her to be careful.

"Is it 'will you go out with me'?" Evergreen asked, looking hopefully at Lucy.

Taking a page from Freed, she kept her expression in the same happy smile as she waited for Wendy and Bickslow.

"Same," Bickslow said confidently. "That has to be it!"

"I agree, Lucy," Wendy said after another minute.

Once they reached the end of the canal, Lucy jumped down and made an 'X' with her arms. "You are all incorrect. That's the answer Freed gave me." She giggled as Freed blushed.

"So, what was the answer to the riddle? That's the only thing that makes sense," Evergreen said.

"Yeah, and what did he give you permission to do?" Bickslow added.

Freed chuckled and said, "She can touch my hair whenever she wants."

"WHAT?!" Evergreen shouted. "So not fair!"

Lucy sweatdropped as they arrived at the guild.

Everyone stopped and looked expectantly at her. "Well? What's the answer?"

"Freed, what was the answer again?" Lucy asked sweetly.

Freed blushed as he said, "May I kiss you?"

Lucy nodded and giggled when he leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips, his arms wrapping gently around her waist. It was short and sweet, but they both pulled away blushing. When all they heard was silence, Lucy and Freed turned to see that the Raijinshuu had opened the guild doors. And the entire guild was staring at them.


	3. Runes and Rules

_Crap._   _This isn't what we need right now,_  Lucy thought as she looked wide-eyed at their guildmates. She grasped Freed's hand and whispered, "Come on, let's go talk to Master." Before they started walking she pulled her bangs in front of her left eye, wanting to avoid as many questions as she could. She knew that they would be bombarded with questions about their relationship, and most likely about Lucy's facial injury—well, what little of it was visible with her hair the way it was—and she didn't also want questions about her eye changing.

Freed was tense. He kept his face an impartial mask as they slowly started walking inside, but as they drew closer to the entrance and stepped into the hall, his heart started to pound in his chest. He did his best to control his breathing when he saw how many people were staring at Lucy and him.

"LUCE! Where have you been? Let's go on a mission!" Natsu shouted, running towards his blonde friend. He hadn't seen her in a long time, just barely catching glimpses of her when they happened to be in the guild together.

Lucy's eyes widened as Natsu ran at her. His excitement seemed to set off a chain reaction in the guild, everyone crowding around them to ask the questions that they wanted answered.

_"Freed, where have you been?"_

_"What's with the kiss?"_

_"Are you together now?"_

_"SO MANY BABIES!"_

Lucy felt Freed tense up, and she looked around for the Raijinshuu hoping that they would help her get Freed upstairs before she realized they had already gone upstairs. Lucy smiled at her friends, and said, "Freed and I need to go talk to Master. I'll see you guys in a little bit, okay?"  _Please let them just go._

He was panicking. He knew that his mask had slipped. No, that was an understatement, it had shattered as their guildmates surrounded them. Freed felt like he couldn't breathe, and he started shaking. He flinched when he felt someone clap their hand on his shoulder; although a part of him knew it was congratulatory, the rest of him felt as if he was going to be attacked. "Lucy… Please make them go," he whispered to her urgently. It seemed as though he was coming apart, and he didn't want to be surrounded by people any longer.

Lucy turned quickly to look at Freed when she heard him. He was panicking.  _Shit! He can't be around crowds?!_  She wished she had thought of it sooner. Lucy hated being alone, but Freed preferred his solitude. When she had gone through her own torture, she had wanted people by her side to comfort her. Freed on the other hand probably wanted to be left alone, or with the few people he was comfortable around. Wanting solitude wasn't enough of an explanation for the frightened look in his eyes or the tears that were welling up. No, it had to be something more. Lucy's eyes widened when she realized what was wrong. Freed had never told her what had happened to him the other two weeks that he was in captivity. He could have been subjected to any number of horrors, and who knows what else. Clearly, everyone surrounding them wasn't helping him, and she needed to act fast. "Everyone, please. Just back up!"

No one listened. They crowded closer.

Natsu started to get aggravated as he was pushed aside by his other guildmates. He wanted to see Lucy. He had something important to tell her, and he was hoping they could go on a mission so he could tell her in peace.

Freed flinched again, reality slowly blending with his imagination and the torture he'd endured during the first week of his imprisonment.

~~..~~

He was cold. Shackled to a wall in a dark damp cell just off of a large room, with his feet barely touching the floor. He could hear voices nearby and when he lifted his head, he was quickly struck with a whip again. His voice hardly worked after screaming so much before passing out the last time, so his pained cry left him as a rasp of air.

"Talk to me and it all stops," Ansa whispered. "You won't be in pain anymore."

"N-Never," he forced out.

"Fine, I tried," Ansa said with an evil smirk as she walked away.

Freed raised his head to watch her leave, hoping that he would be left alone to die in the cell. He managed to keep his face neutral as two hulking men walked into his cell, the wooden door slamming shut behind them. It was mostly dark, a sliver of moonlight illuminating them as they slowly stalked forward.

"Pretty boy," one murmured, running his hands through Freed's hair, grabbing the green locks tightly and yanking his head back.

"Indeed. She says he won't talk. Maybe we can change that…" the other said with a dark chuckle.

Freed's face lit up in pain as he was struck, a solid punch to the side of his face. Black dots filled his vision as he tried to straighten himself. Before he could, he took a swift kick to the stomach, then another blow to the head.

"My turn," the first voice said.

Freed lifted his head to glare at the man and barely saw the shimmer of a blade before it was slashed across his side. The wound wasn't deep enough to cause internal damage, but the feeling of his skin separating nearly made him sick.

"What, started the fun without us?" asked another man as the door opened. He was quickly followed inside by two others, each of them grinning like madmen.

It went on for hours. Each of the men taking their turns beating Freed until he nearly lost consciousness. Then, they would stand back and give him a small reprieve until they thought he'd rested enough. They had cut across his arms and torso, eventually unlocking his restraints and throwing him onto the ground.

Freed's eyes widened in terror when one of the men pinned him to the ground, then screamed in agony when he felt the knife cutting across his back. He finally lost consciousness.

~~..~~

Freed's hand shot out of Lucy's and he grabbed his head, trying to stop the onslaught of memories from playing through his mind. His eyes were screwed shut, his face locked into a grimace, and he eventually fell to his knees. He couldn't breathe, and no one seemed to notice it.

Lucy whirled around when Freed's hand left hers. She dropped to the ground with him, pulling him close to her and urgently whispering his name. She turned and glared at everyone around them shouting, "GET THE FUCK BACK! CAN'T YOU SEE IT'S FREAKING HIM OUT?!" She sighed in relief when everyone backed away from them.

"Shit!" Laxus yelled, turning quickly in Master's office and rushing to the door on the other side of the room.

"Laxus, what is it?" Evergreen asked, concern lacing her voice.

"Freed's losing it!" he shot back as he threw the door open. Laxus heard the rest of his group following closely behind him, along with Gramps, as they rushed down the hallway to the second floor balcony.  _Fuck, what's happening to Freed?!_

"Please stop… No more… Please, no more…" Freed whispered, shaking his head back and forth and pulling roughly on his hair.

"Freed, it's Lucy. Can you hear me?" Lucy whispered, holding his shoulders tightly while trying to gently remove his hands from his hair. "Come on, I'm right here."

"No… Don't…" Tears burned hot trails down his cheeks, his mind stuck in a loop. He was surrounded again, his attackers giving him a small break from their assault on him. "Leave me alone… Please… Just go away…"

Lucy fought to bring his face up, and eventually lost. Freed's entire body was tense, and she knew he was reliving something that had happened to him. She looked around again, glaring at everyone that had formed a circle around them. She loved her guildmates, loved that they cared so much for everyone, but they needed to leave Freed and her alone. Instead of doing that, they just stared in horror at Freed's shaking form on the ground.

"LUCE!" Natsu shouted as he finally got to the front of the crowd.

"Not now, Natsu," Gray whispered. "Something's wrong with Freed."

"He's fine!" Natsu said with a grin. "Luce! I wanted to talk to y—"

"Shut the fuck up, NATSU!" Lucy shouted. She slowly turned back to Freed, feeling him flinch when she raised her voice, and rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Hush, I'm here. It's okay…" she whispered into his hair.

He still couldn't hear her. He was stuck in his head, in his memories.

Laxus, Bickslow, Evergreen, Wendy and Master Makarov rushed onto the balcony of the second floor, and each of their hearts dropped at the scene before them. Most of the guild had created a ten-foot-wide circle, and in the center was Freed and Lucy kneeling on the ground. Her arms were wrapped protectively around his shoulders as he shook with sobs.

"Shit, I didn't think he'd freak out," Bickslow muttered.

"What's happening to him?" Wendy asked, hugging closer to Laxus for support.

He looked down at the younger Dragon Slayer, feeling like an older brother, and said, "I don't know, Wendy. But, I think Blondie's got the situation under control." He looked over at his grandfather and said, "Gramps, we need to get everyone away from them."

Makarov nodded, watching intently as Lucy tried to bring Freed back to them.

Lucy bent down and put her face in his line of sight, internally smiling in relief when she saw that his eyes were open even if they were filled with terror. "Freed?" She brought her hands to his cheeks, wiping away his tears. "Freed, it's Lucy. Come back to me…"

"Can't… Please stop… I won't do it…" he whispered quickly, though his mind had registered another presence near him.

Lucy smiled softly—hoping her idea would work—and pulled her bangs away from her face, revealing her left eye. She brushed her nose against his, and whispered, "Come back to me, sweetie. Please come back…" She had seen a small change in him, only slightly, but it had been enough to push her forward. She had to help him no matter what.

The guild gasped as Lucy moved her hair away from her face. The injury, her eye, everything took them by surprise. No one could understand what had happened to her, or when she and Freed had gotten so close. Only the S-Class mages had known that Freed had gone missing, and each of them stared in horror at what was playing out in front of them. Realization finally hit those few who knew that he'd disappeared: he had gone through something horrible.

 _"Come back to me, sweetie…"_  The soft lilting of her voice drifted through his memories. He remembered that voice. There was something about it that soothed him, and took his fears away. Freed looked around at his memories, the blows that just kept coming finally stopping as if time was frozen. He heard her again, and finally the image of blonde hair flashed briefly in his mind. It flickered away just as quickly, but he furrowed his brow as he tried to remember who she was.

"Freed, you can do it. I'm right here," Lucy whispered to him. She didn't pay attention to the soft murmurs of the guild when her hair was pushed back from her face, her focus was solely on Freed. She felt his body relax slightly, so she took his right hand and placed it on her own cheek, letting his thumb brush across her wound. Her heart sped up when his brow furrowed in concentration, but his eyes were still dazed.

He felt her skin under his hand, and something slightly raised under his thumb. Freed couldn't understand how he knew it was the owner of that voice, but something inside of him wouldn't let him believe otherwise. A small purple light surrounded by darkness filled his vision, replacing his attackers and his cell.  _So familiar…_  Another flash of golden hair. In quick succession, he was given fragments of the image he wanted to see—the image of that voice's owner. A smile, though it was marred by an open wound across the lips and chin. Brown eyes filled with sadness and loneliness. Keys jingling against a mostly bare leg. Then back to the purple light.  _Who are you?,_  he thought to the voice.

She heard the faintest whisper of his question, and hoped that he had heard her. "It's me. It's Lucy. Come back to me, Freed."

 _Lucy._  His brow furrowed again. The images changed again and again, and he knew that his mind was trying to help him remember her. Blonde hair mixed with green on a pillow. Small fingers curled around his hair. Soft, injured lips pressing to his own. A soft body pressed to his side, his arms wrapped around it protectively, carefully. The same smile, though the cheeks and nose were now visible. Then he saw it. A smaller hand held in his own with their fingers intertwined. He could see his green guildmark, but the smaller hand had a matching mark. In pink.  _LUCY!_

Lucy watched Freed's eyes widen and clear as he looked at her. If he hadn't just had a panic attack in the middle of the guild, she would have giggled at the ecstatic and relieved look he gave her. She almost fell to the floor when he lunged at her, crushing her chest to his and resting his head in the crook of her neck. Her arms instantly wrapped around his shoulders and she continued whispering to him when his tears started again. "I've got you. Don't worry, you're safe…"

 _Lucy._ It was really her. Freed finally breathed a sigh of relief, as his nose touched her neck. Vanilla and honey filled his nostrils, and he felt fresh tears cascading down his cheeks. He couldn't bring himself to care whether there was anyone around them in that moment. Her voice, her compassion, her tender words and actions had brought him back. "It's you… It's really you…" he whispered as he held onto her tightly, afraid she might slip away if he let go.

She smiled sadly at his whispered words. "It's me, Freed. I've got you. Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere."

Makarov walked down the stairs with the other five mages that were in his office, and slowly got the guild to part for him to pass. He heard Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow whispering to those around them that everyone needed to go back to what they were doing before. He sighed in relief as his children listened, and the crowd dispersed. "Lucy, my child. Is everything alright?" he asked softly.

She felt Freed flinch again, and squeezed his shoulders reassuringly. "It's okay, sweetie. It's just Master," she whispered to him, one hand moving up to run through his hair. She looked up sadly at Makarov when Freed nodded against her neck, his tears finally beginning to slow. "He'll be alright in a little bit, Master. We didn't think about the fact that he might not be able to handle such a large crowd right away." She looked down guiltily as she finished speaking.

"It's not your fault, child. We can't always anticipate what will happen in these situations. Please, bring him upstairs and relax. We can meet afterwards if he's up for it," Makarov said as he turned around and walked back up the stairs, waiting for the two to find a safe place to relax before he ripped into his other children for their carelessness.

"Come on, Freed. Let's go upstairs, okay?" Lucy whispered softly. She felt him squeeze her ribs and shake his head, still quaking in the aftermath of his panic attack. "We're just going to get away from everyone. You don't have to worry about talking to Master just yet."

Freed sighed. She still seemed to know just what to say to him. He couldn't tell how she knew that he didn't want to talk with anyone right then, but he was grateful for it. He pulled his head away from her neck, keeping his hair in front of his eyes as he stood up slowly.

Lucy looked pointedly at Freed's team and Wendy, and said, "Make sure we're left alone?"

All five nodded in understanding, and Laxus said, "I'll follow you guys to the stairs so no one bothers you on the way."

"No. Evergreen can do it," Lucy said firmly, rubbing her hand along Freed's back when he nodded quickly. She had a feeling that a man as large as Laxus walking behind them right then wasn't going to help Freed in the slightest.

As Lucy and Freed walked by, Laxus handed her the key to his office. "Here, you guys take all the time you need." He smirked at her when she gave him a thankful smile, then turned to glare at everyone in the guild.

Once they were at the stairs, Evergreen said, "It's the one right next to Master's, Lucy." She gave the blonde a small pat on her shoulder, then turned to guard the foot of the stairs while they climbed up.

* * *

Laxus sighed in relief as he heard the door to his office open, close, and then lock.  _Smart girl,_  he thought. He looked up to the balcony and met his grandfather's eyes, nodding that it was alright to speak.

Makarov cleared his throat, gaining everyone's attention. He looked down at all of them, disappointment filling him for how they had acted. "Children… Do you realize what you have done to one of your own?" he asked loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Master, what's the matter with Freed?"

"And what happened to Lucy?"

"Is everything alright?"

"What did we do wrong?"

Laxus growled and shouted, "Shut the hell up and let him speak!" His magic filled him and sparks of lightning danced across his skin.

Once the guild was quiet again, Makarov said, "I cannot tell you everything, because I am not fully aware of the situation myself."

"Master," Erza said stepping forward, "Where was he found?"

Makarov nodded. He knew that the guild would eventually find out, but he looked to Laxus to get his approval. His grandson was close to Freed, and since the Rune mage wasn't there to defend himself or his interests, Laxus was the closest he had.

Laxus looked to Evergreen and Bickslow, seeing a small nod from them, he nodded at his grandfather.

Makarov smiled at their interaction, then said to the guild. "During the Raijinshuu's last mission, Freed disappeared. He was missing for three weeks, until our young Lucy found him during her own mission. As I have said, I don't know all the details. She was injured during a confrontation with their leader, but still managed to save his life." He paused while the guild broke out into hushed conversations, then continued. "It is clear that he has experienced something traumatic, and I am disappointed in each and every one of you for not recognizing the anxiety your presence was causing him."

"Blondie shouldn't have had to yell at the top of her lungs to get you to back off," Laxus said, keeping his face blank of the overwhelming rage that filled him.

"And then when you all  _did_ listen, you shouldn't have made it into some spectacle by making a huge circle around them and watching," Evergreen added.

Each and every member looked away in shame.

"But, why were they kissing?" Wakaba asked after a few silent minutes.

Laxus rolled his eyes and said, "Not that it's any of your goddamn business, but they're dating."

"What?!" Gray shouted.

"Since when?" Erza asked, drawing her sword to defend Lucy's honor.

 _Dating? Lucy and Freed?_  Natsu thought. He felt a strange pain in his chest that was quickly filled with anger and fire.  _Lucy's mine, not his!_

Evergreen smiled and said, "He asked her this morning."

"Yeah, while they were lying in bed," Bickslow muttered under his breath. He blanched when Laxus turned to glare at him.  _Shit, if he heard that, then so did the other Slayers…_

Natsu's fists were ablaze when he heard Bickslow.  _Only_ _ **I**_ _get to sleep next to Lucy!_

"Natsu, calm down," Laxus said, stalking over to the Fire Dragon Slayer.

Makarov saw Natsu's eyes darting to the stairs, then to the balcony, trying to find a way up to Lucy. He quickly enlarged his hand and knocked the younger man out before he could do any damage.

* * *

"Come on over here, and let's sit down," Lucy said softly as she led Freed to a plush leather couch. Once they were seated, Lucy looked at him for a long moment, taking everything in. His head was still hanging low, his normally straight posture gone in place of a defeated one, and his hand clasped tightly with hers. "Please look at me, Freed."

He shook his head. Freed couldn't let her see him this way. Once they were away from the other guildmembers, he realized that she must think he's insane. He had broken down in front of her, in front of everyone, and he couldn't explain why. He didn't understand why being surrounded by their friends had caused him such anxiety, and he was ashamed of his reaction.

Lucy knelt on the floor in front of him, pushing his legs open and settling herself between them. She gently pushed his hair away from his face and gave him a soft smile. "Please look at me, sweetie."

 _Sweetie?_  His eyes shot to hers in shock. She had called him that before, though he couldn't understand why. He was far from sweet.

"That's better." She rubbed her thumbs along his cheeks, making sure the remnants of his tears were gone. "Are you alright?" she asked, concern and understanding in her voice and eyes.

"I… I don't know," he whispered.

"Do you want to talk to me about it?" Lucy asked, tucking a stray strand of hair behind his ear. "I'll understand if you don't want to, so there's no pressure."

"Not yet…" Freed looked away from her, ashamed of his fear at telling her what happened to him.  _How can she look at me like that after everything that's happened?_ He wanted to tell her, to let someone else know why he felt so broken inside, but every time he tried to form the words he was filled with an overwhelming fear that stopped him in his tracks.

"Hey, there's nothing to be ashamed of," Lucy said sternly, flicking his nose to get his attention. "You'll tell me when you're ready. And when the time comes, I'll listen to everything you have to say and try to help you work through it, okay?"

"Thank you, Lucy. It seems you've saved me again," he said as he looked back at her, smiling sadly.

"I'll save you any time, Freed," she said with a softly. She saw his gaze flick to her lips for the briefest of seconds, and her smile turned sly. "Is there something I can help you with?"

Freed blushed and looked away, then shook his head.  _Now isn't the time for that._

Lucy turned him back to face her and said, "I thought I gave you permission. It's in the rules, Freed." She smiled as his eyes widened, then grabbed his hands and placed them on her waist.

"In the rules," he whispered, leaning forward and pressing his lips to hers. Though the kiss started out tender, his anxiety from earlier mixed with his gratitude for her helping him caused him to pull her tightly to his chest. Their lips moved in unison, and he groaned when a small moan left Lucy. Too soon for his liking, wishing that he could keep ravaging her lips, Freed pulled away and laid his forehead gently on hers.

"I have something to tell you, and we can talk more about it later on," she said. When he didn't respond, Lucy said, "It's not going to be easy, Freed. But, I'm here for you. Our relationship is strange and complicated, and there's still so much that we don't know about each other."

Freed nodded, letting her know he was listening. He could tell there was more she wanted to say, so he waited.

"I can't explain why, but there's something that's drawing me to you. I've got a lot of my own baggage that I don't want to burden you with, especially with everything you've gone through recently. I just… I just want you to know that I'm going to try to let you in." Lucy sighed when he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I can be very patient, Lucy. Thank you for telling me," he whispered. He understood exactly what it was like to keep people at arm's length, and how terrifying it felt when you decided to let someone get close to you. "I will try to do the same."

"I don't like being alone," Lucy whispered. "I was alone for so much of my life, and I'm afraid of being abandoned again…"  _Might as well start now,_  she thought. It was hard for her to let herself open up to him, but she wanted to. She had seen him at his worst, and had a feeling it wouldn't be the last time while he dealt with what had happened.  _Mom always said relationships are built on honesty and trust._

"I have no intention of abandoning you," Freed said as he pressed another kiss to her forehead. He could tell by the tension in her that it was hard for her to do, and he admired her courage for going through with it. He smiled as a thought came to him, and hoped she would agree to it. "Lucy," he whispered.

"Hm?" Lucy looked up into Freed's green eyes expectantly.

"Would you like to accompany me somewhere later on?" he asked softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Where?"

"Somewhere for us to relax and talk. I'd love to learn more about you," he said with a smile.

"That sounds like a date," Lucy said with a smirk.

Freed shrugged. "Well, what I have in mind isn't a traditional date, but I guess you could call it that."

"There's nothing 'traditional' about us," she retorted.

"Then it's a date. What do you say?"

"I say… I'd love to go on a date with you," Lucy whispered, pressing her lips to his in a chaste kiss.

* * *

"Oh come on! It's been an hour!" Natsu yelled. "Just let me talk to Lucy!"

Lucy and Freed walked out of Laxus' office, and Lucy grimaced when she heard Natsu's yelling. She rolled her eyes and looked at Freed.

"Go and talk to him. I can wait for you at my team's table," he whispered, leading her back to the second floor balcony. Once they reached the stairs, he pointed to the table he would be at and smiled into the small kiss she gave him.

Lucy walked down the stairs and right over to Natsu. She squeaked when he enveloped her in a bone-crushing hug. He quickly pulled away from her, holding her at arm's length by the shoulders, and looking her up and down with concern etched on his brow. "What did you need, Natsu?"

"What happened to you, Luce?" he asked softly, staring at the wound on her face.

"I got into a fight. I'll be fine," she said, patting his warm arm.

"Then we can have Wendy heal you! You don't wanna have a scar!" Natsu shouted.

"Wendy can't heal me, Natsu."

"Sure she can!"

Lucy sighed, pulling his hands from her shoulders. "No, she tried to heal me this morning. She healed my ribs just fine but—"

"What happened to your ribs?!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "I cracked some, fractured some, and a couple were completely shattered, but—"

"Why wasn't I there?!"

"Natsu!  _I'm FINE_!" Lucy yelled. She hated being cut off, and she wanted to get back to Freed so they could finally go and talk with Makarov about what happened.

"No, you got hurt!" Natsu pouted. "I should have been there to protect you."

"Natsu," Lucy warned, feeling the attention of the guild settling on them through sidelong glances. "I don't need you to protect me. I've been doing solo missions for the past three months, and I've managed just fine on my own."

"But we're partners, Luce!"

Lucy was sure they had already had this conversation. She dropped her head to her hands, willing her growing headache and exhaustion from the morning to leave. "Team Natsu was disbanded, Natsu. We're not partners anymore."

"Is it because you're going to be Freed's partner?" he asked quietly. Though his tone was normal, jealousy and anger wafted off of him.

"Freed is my boyfriend, Natsu," she explained softly. "I'm not even thinking about taking any missions right now, so that's not a question I can answer."

"But, you're  _my_  partner, Luce! You're mine!"

Lucy's eyes hardened. She spoke quietly, making sure he heard every word. "I don't belong to you or anyone else, Natsu. I'm not a possession." She turned to walk away, fuming at how immature Natsu could be sometimes, but he stopped her by grabbing her wrist in a painful grasp.

"Don't go," Natsu pleaded. "I miss you…"

"Natsu, you're hurting me." She winced as his grip tightened on her wrist. "Let go, Natsu…"

Freed watched the scene unfolding from the balcony, frowning at how Natsu was treating Lucy. He didn't want to interfere unless he absolutely had to, but if Natsu didn't let her go soon there would be no stopping him from getting the man away from Lucy. She was Natsu's friend, and Freed would let her handle it. He knew she was strong and independent, especially since she had taken out almost twenty enemies on her own the night before with only a few injuries, and he had faith that she could handle the Dragon Slayer without his assistance.

"Lucy, I thought I was the only one that slept in your bed… Why did you let  _him_  do it?" Natsu practically shouted, gaining the attention of the entire guild again. Instead of glances here and there, everyone had turned to watch what was unfolding.

Lucy's eyes widened, then she frowned. "That's none of your concern, Natsu. We've hardly spoken in three months, and what I do on my own time with my boyfriend doesn't concern you. Now let me go before I  _make_  you." An intense anger that Lucy couldn't place was boiling up inside of her, and Natsu was going to feel the brunt of it if he didn't listen to her.

"Natsu, you're hurting Lucy," Happy said as he hovered by the Slayer's shoulder.

Natsu frowned, not hearing Happy's words. Lucy had never looked at him like that before, there was anger radiating from her, burning his nostrils with the acrid stench. There was something behind her eyes that he couldn't place, but maybe it was just because one of her eyes changed. "What happened to your eye?"

His grip on her arm never lessened. Lucy pulled slightly on her arm, hoping he would get the hint, but it only caused his grip to tighten again.  _Pain._  The word ricocheted in her mind, bouncing around quickly from one side to the other until she felt like she would burst. "Let. Me. Go," she seethed.  _One last chance, Natsu._

"No! You're mine, Luce!"

"Pain," Lucy whispered, her eyes widening and a bright flash of light emanating from her left eye for a brief moment. She watched a purple light fill Natsu. His hand left her wrist as he grabbed his chest and screamed in agony, his entire body convulsing and falling to the floor. Her face was blank, matching everything she felt in that moment, and she continued to stare at him while his cries echoed around her.

Freed watched in shock as Lucy whispered a single word, her voice dancing across his skin.  _That's… Not possible!_  The spell was lasting longer than it was supposed to, and with more intensity than a single casting should have had. "Lucy!" Freed shouted as he rushed down the stairs. He made it over to her in a matter of seconds, stepping between her and Natsu. Even though she couldn't see Natsu any longer, the man was still screaming.  _Cover her eye! Maybe that will work!_  Freed's hand shot up and laid gently over her left eye, and he sighed in relief when Natsu's screams finally stopped.

Lucy shook her head, as if breaking from a trance, and saw Freed in front of her. "Freed?" she asked, confused by how she hadn't seen or heard him come up to her. "What's going on?"

"We need to talk with Master, Lucy," he said softly.

Lucy nodded and furrowed her brow as he led her back to the stairs, feeling the guild watching her. "Freed, what's the matter?" she whispered. "What happened?"

"What the hell, Luce?!" Natsu shouted as he stood up, ready to charge after them and find out what she did to him.

"Natsu, that's enough," Erza said firmly, standing between him and the couple by the stairs.

"No, I wanna know what she did to me!"

Lucy looked back at Natsu, even more confused than she was before. "I didn't do anything to you, Natsu. You were the one that was hurting my wrist…" Lucy looked down at the wrist he had held, and saw a faint red mark that would most likely turn into a bruise.

Freed brushed a thumb along her wrist as she looked at it. "Lucy, I will tell you when we're upstairs. This is not something I wish to discuss in public," he said softly, and the look in his eyes told her it was a private matter.

Lucy cocked her head to the side, never having seen Freed look like that, then smiled and nodded. "Okay, sounds good to me. Bye Natsu!" she shouted as they walked up to Master Makarov's office.

Natsu was fuming, but was quickly surrounded by the other three Dragon Slayers once Lucy and Freed were out of sight. They dragged him to Gajeel's table in the corner and sat him down. He sighed and said, "What do you guys want?"

"Leave Lucy alone," Wendy said firmly.

"Why?" Natsu asked sadly.

"Because she's not yours, Natsu," Wendy retorted.

"But—"

"Listen Flame Brain," Gajeel interjected, "You had your chance with Bunny Girl. She doesn't wanna be your mate, so give it up."

"But—"

"No buts, Natsu. She's not your mate. If she was, then she wouldn't be dating Freed. Not to mention the fact that you wouldn't have hurt her if she was your mate," Laxus said firmly.

"You know how it works."

Seeing the hurt in Natsu's eyes, Wendy patted him on the hand and said, "Natsu, if she was supposed to be your mate, then she wouldn't have gotten upset when you said she was yours. Right?"

Natsu's head dropped to the table with a thud. "Right…"

"Give her a few days, then apologize to her," Laxus growled before he walked off with Wendy.

"Why should I give her a few days?" Natsu asked Gajeel.

Gajeel snorted and said, "Considering she just did some crazy shit to you, I would suggest you let her calm down. Now go fight the Stripper. He's laughing at you."

"WHAT?! YOU ICE PRICK!" Natsu shouted as he ran across the hall.

"Tch."

* * *

"Okay, Freed," Lucy said pulling him to a stop before they reached Makarov's office. "Spill."

Freed sighed and looked into her eyes. "You used my runes on Natsu."

"What?! But, I didn't do anything!" she said frantically. "What happened?" She couldn't remember anything after Natsu had said she was his. It was blank. Then, the next thing she knew, Freed was standing in front of her with wide eyes, and his hand over her left eye.

"Dark Ecriture: Pain. It causes the bearer of the runes intense pain," he said quietly. He pulled her bruising wrist up and ran his thumb over it again. "Although, you didn't write any runes on him, and it was much stronger than a single pass of the spell would have been. It only stopped when I covered your eye."

"… Pain…" Lucy said softly. "Is that why I kept thinking that word? It came out of nowhere."

"I can only assume so. I will have to see if there is any information on this when I research what happened with your eye in the first place."

"You mean when  _we_  research it," Lucy corrected with a grin.

"We?" Freed asked, his head tilting to the side.

Lucy lifted her hand to his hair, brushing through the bangs that covered his right eye, and nodded. "Yes. You don't expect me to let you do all the work, do you?"

"Not anymore," he whispered. He frowned at her wrist when it caught his eye, then pressed a soft kiss to the red skin. "I should have intervened," he whispered, unable to look her in the eye.

"Like I told Natsu, I can take care of myself. Though, I appreciate the thought."

Before Freed could say anything more on the matter, Laxus walked down the hall with Wendy in tow.

"You good to talk to Gramps, Freed?" Laxus asked, glancing at Lucy for a second. He, along with everyone else in the guild, had watched what happened with Natsu. He recognized Freed's spell the instant Natsu had fallen to the ground, but when he looked up at Freed on the second floor, the man was just as shocked as everyone else. Lucy had somehow done it, and no one knew how she had managed to pull it off by whispering a single word. At least, no one knew until Freed had covered her eye.

Freed nodded, and the group continued down to speak with Makarov. Once inside, Freed and Lucy sat on one loveseat. Wendy and Laxus sat on another, and the short guildmaster was sitting on his desk. Bickslow and Evergreen had already taken their seats in two armchairs while they waited for the meeting to start.

"Where do we begin?" Makarov asked solemnly.

Everyone's eyes shot to Freed and Lucy. After a moment, Freed said, "I believe I should start. I will give you a brief synopsis of what happened." He paused and laced his fingers with Lucy's, then continued. "I'm not ready to discuss everything I went through while in captivity, but I will be sure to include anything that could be of importance. Though I fear it will not be much."

Everyone nodded and waited for him to continue.

Freed sat for a moment, trying to decide where to begin. "While we were on our mission, I was captured. We had split up to scout the area for the dark guild we were sent to eliminate, and I was hit with a dart. I can only assume it had some sort of sleeping potion inside of it, because I lost consciousness and woke up in the monastery Lucy found me in." He stopped again, running through his memories of the first few days there, then felt his anxiety diminish when Lucy started to rub small circles on his hand with her thumb. "I was informed that I had been captured because of who I was associated with. They told me that because Laxus is going to be the next guildmaster, and I'm a part of his team, they wanted to extract information from me about the guild. When I refused to tell them anything…"

Makarov nodded in understanding. Lucy's actions with Freed hadn't gone unnoticed by the old man, and he smiled internally that she had found him. He marveled at how calm Freed seemed when Lucy was near, as if she was a beacon of light that could end the young man's torment.

Freed shook his mind free from the memory of his torture. "I was told that if I answered their questions, I would be set free. Although, I believe that was a lie to make me talk to them—they didn't seem to have any intention of letting me live. Every week, they would…"

Lucy felt his tension rising, and said, "Every week, they would change their tactics to see if it would make him talk. He was either too strong-willed to break under their attempts, or broke out of it himself."

 _How does she know this?_  Freed thought. He finally said, "I apologize. There isn't much more that I can tell you right now. I wasn't told much while I was there, only that they wanted information."

"Is that where you come in, Blondie?" Laxus asked.

Lucy nodded. "I was supposed to find a tome in that monastery for my mission. I heard a bunch of noise coming from inside, and hid behind a pillar when Ansa—the leader—and a man named Victor started talking. They mentioned having a prisoner, and thinking they had broken his spirit because he had tried for the past week to break out of his confinement, and failed." She lightly squeezed Freed's hand. "Ansa sent Victor to tell their superiors that they were ready to start the next phase, but I never heard what it was. I followed her inside and found Freed." Lucy looked questioningly at Freed, checking to make sure he was okay.

"Go ahead and tell them, Lucy. I'll be fine," he whispered.

Lucy sighed, and lowered her gaze to the floor. She didn't want to remember what she had seen, but there could be something that was important and she didn't want to leave anything out just in case. Her brow furrowed in concentration as she started again. "Freed was chained up and hanging from the ceiling, the same way Ansa was when you guys found her. There was a rune barrier around him, and fifteen men plus Ansa were gathered in the room. Ansa hit him with her whip, telling him to talk. When he didn't say anything, she picked up his sword and said 'I hope I don't hurt you' before she touched the runes with it. She was using it as a means to torture him."

Laxus growled at hearing Lucy's story. He hated that Freed had been tortured, especially if it was because the guy was close to Laxus.

Lucy raised her head and looked at Laxus, pride filling her at the actions of her spirits during the fight. "I summoned Taurus and Scorpio, and they combined their attacks to take out most of the men in the room in one hit. It took out nine or ten of them, so we rushed in. I grabbed the guys with my whip and threw them to my spirits, and when the last one fell…" Rage filled Lucy as she remembered the next part of the fight.

"Take your time, child," Makarov said softly.

Lucy took a deep breath, calming herself down before continuing. "Ansa hit Scorpio and Taurus with Freed's sword, and they were sent back to the Spirit World. I knocked his sword out of her hand, but forgot that she still had her whip. She knocked my weapon away, then ran at me faster than I could have imagined, picking up Freed's sword in the process. She used her whip as a distraction while she tried to get a clean shot at me with the sword, but I kept dodging. She got my ribs a few times with the whip and then I…" Lucy sighed, dropping her head in shame. "I hesitated, and she sliced my face open with the sword. I fell to the ground and she kept kicking me. That's why my ribs were so messed up," she said looking at Wendy.

Taking another deep breath, and smiling internally at the encouragement Freed was giving her with the light squeeze on her hand, Lucy continued. "She turned around, thinking that I was out for the count, and asked if Freed was ready to talk. He said that he wouldn't tell her a thing, and it gave me time to block out my pain so I could stand back up. I tackled her and grabbed the hand that still had his sword, then I broke her wrist. She knocked me off of her, and I lunged at her again. I feinted with an uppercut, and when she dodged I smashed her face into the ground and knocked her out from the impact."

"Shit, Cosplayer," Bickslow said, wide-eyed.

Lucy giggled. "I learned it from Erza."

"What happened after that? Everyone was knocked out, so is that when you broke Freed out?" Laxus asked.

"Yeah, how  _did_ you get him out anyway? Did he help you with it?" Evergreen added.

Freed turned to Lucy. He had been wondering the same thing since she had rescued him. "No, I passed out just after she beat Ansa. I couldn't tell who she was, and only saw blonde hair and a bloody face."

Lucy blushed. "Um… Well…"

"Come on, Cosplayer! We already know you're smart since you beat Freed this morning with that riddle!" Bickslow said with a laugh.

"WHAT?!" Makarov shouted, falling off of his desk.

Lucy laughed as he climbed back up and said, "Laxus can tell you about it later." She looked to Freed, deciding he would be most interested in what she had to say. "I looked at the barrier and remembered that there's  _always_  a weakness in runes, you just have to know where to look and what to look  _for_. I picked up your sword, remembering how you use it to write runes, but you were unconscious so I couldn't get any help with that; plus, I don't know how to re-write runes with anything but a pen like Levy showed me. Then I looked up at your chains and followed their path to the lever in the corner, and lowered you to the ground. Once you were down, I decided that I had to figure out what the rules were for the barrier."

Freed smirked.  _So, that's why she always brings up rules. She seems to know more about me than she lets on._  He couldn't help the sense of pride and awe he felt as she explained how she had freed him.

Lucy blushed a deeper red at his smirk, and said, "I thought back to what I had seen. Ansa had hit you with her whip and it went through the barrier, and when she used your sword it didn't. At first I wondered if it had something to do with the weapon, but that didn't make sense. Then I remembered that when she used your sword, she said that she hoped it didn't hurt you."

"Rule number one: No weapon can pass through the barrier, unless it is sent with the intent to harm," Freed said, his smirk turning into a smile. He had never met anyone in his life that could work through a barrier as quickly as she had. He knew that he hadn't been unconscious for long, and it amazed him that Lucy had accomplished everything she had. The only other person that came close to impressing him was Levy during Fantasia and again during the S-Class trials; however, she had the ability to re-write runes, while Lucy found a way to use the rules to her advantage.

"How does that even make sense?" Evergreen asked, her perfectly manicured brows scrunching together.

Lucy's eyes never left Freed when she responded to Evergreen's question. "She wanted to hurt him with the whip, and her intent sent it through. She didn't intend to hurt him with the sword itself, and _that_  intent made the barrier respond," Lucy said with a shrug. "So, I looked through her pockets and found the key to the restraints, then put a hand on the barrier. I thought to myself, 'I'll save you, Freed.'" Lucy blushed again. "And I got shocked at the same time you did. That was when I realized the barrier was based on intent to harm. So, I said that I would cut your hands off if that would help free you, and walked through the barrier." She grinned widely at Freed when he blanched.

"What the fuck, Blondie?" Laxus snorted.

"What? I fully intended to hurt him if it meant he could get out alive," Lucy said with a pout. "It worked, so I didn't have to hurt him!"

Freed chuckled, removing his hand from hers and wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Thank you for not cutting off my hands."

"You're welcome!" Lucy grinned again. "Then I realized what the second rule was: No person can pass through the barrier, unless they have intent to harm. I pulled him out of the barrier when I realized that they wouldn't make it impossible to get out if he wasn't shackled, then I summoned Virgo. She chained up all of the guys in the room, and got to punish Ansa."

A collective shudder ran through the room. Laxus said, "So, that's why they were in magic-cancelling handcuffs and bolted to the wall… I was wondering how you had so many of those."

Lucy gave him a wide, and slightly menacing grin, then continued with her story. "While she was doing that, I bandaged Freed up with his shirt and found his jacket and bag in a cell. Victor came back shouting that they had to get out of there because someone was hot on their trail, and Virgo took him out and chained him to the wall. Then I called you, Master. When we disconnected, I bandaged up my ribs. After that, I left the key to the restraints and the rules for the barrier with Virgo and took Freed to my house to get him properly cleaned up." Lucy blushed again when she remembered bathing him, her mind instantly pulling up pictures of his lightly muscled arms, toned stomach, and then the ceiling when she had moved to wash his lower legs.

"Wow…" Makarov was speechless. "It seems disbanding your team was a good thing, Lucy. I'm very proud of you." He smiled at her as if he was a proud parent.

Lucy said a quick thank you, remembering how lonely she had felt because of it. She felt Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen looking at her, but kept her eyes on the ground. She had opened up to them the previous night about how lonely she felt, and they all seemed to understand in their own way what she was going through.

"So, Laxus. What did you find out when you interrogated the woman?" Makarov asked.

"Not much. She said that there was some plot to destroy Fairy Tail. Something about mages not deserving happiness. It didn't make sense, though since she was a Speed mage." Laxus looked at Lucy and said, "That's why she got a hit on you. She was using her magic against you."

"Anything else?" Makarov asked firmly.

"Just before she passed out again, she mumbled something about a green-haired bastard and not getting her money. She was probably just talking about Freed, though, and pissed that she wouldn't get paid for failing." Laxus frowned. He wished he had been able to extract more information from the bitch, but his anger had gotten the best of him.

"It can't be…" Freed whispered, wide-eyed.

"What is it, my boy?" Makarov asked. He didn't like the look on Freed's face. He looked terrified and guilty.

"Freed?" Lucy whispered when he stayed silent.

Freed pulled Lucy tightly against him, then looked at Makarov sadly. "I know who's behind it, but I can't understand why he would do this… Why now?"

"Who?!"

"How do you know?!"

"Francis Martens Justine III. My father," Freed whispered.

"How can you be sure?" Makarov asked.

"He's a very powerful man, Master. His estate triples that of the Heartfilia estate when it was in its prime. When I was growing up, he hated mages. It's why I left. He wanted me to forget everything that I knew about magic and stay there. However, he taught my siblings and me that mages didn't deserve happiness, that they were abominations."

"Why would he have his own son kidnapped and tortured?" Wendy asked, tears in her eyes. She felt Laxus' arm wrap around her shoulder protectively, and smiled internally that he was treating her like his little sister.

Freed looked over at the younger mage sadly. "Because I'm the eldest, and I renounced my claim to his business before leaving. He didn't formally disown me, so I guess it still stands that I'm the next in line if something should happen to him. Even with my magic, he is still fighting to control my life. If I had died when I was held captive, the next eldest would have full rights to the family business."

 _Wow, that sounds_ _ **really**_ _familiar,_  Lucy thought sadly. "Do you think he'll launch an attack on the guild?"

"No. My father tends to bide his time and wait for people to let their guards down," Freed said with a hint of anger in his voice.

Makarov sat and thought for a minute. "What do you think he will do now that you've been released?"

"I don't know. It might delay any plans he had. Then again, if he doesn't know that I've been released, he might continue on schedule… Whatever that schedule might be," Freed answered, his eyebrows pushing together in concentration.

"We should warn the guild. If he plans on taking any other hostages, they'll need to keep an eye out," Laxus said firmly.

Makarov looked at Laxus with pride.  _He's already acting like a guildmaster._  He nodded, and motioned for Laxus to continue.

Laxus sighed. "No more solo missions. For anyone. Every mission has to have at least two or three mages, and a communication lacrima. If anything happens to one of them, the others can call in for backup."

"Anything else, Laxus?" Master prodded.

"Yeah. Set time frames on missions. If the team completing the mission thinks it will go longer than the prescribed time limit, they have to call in and let someone know. Otherwise, an S-Class mage and their partner will be sent out to the group's last known location in the event that they've been captured."

"What if he's not planning on taking more hostages?" Lucy asked.

"We can't know what his next step is without more information," Master said softly. "I will contact the Magic Council and—"

"No," Freed said. "He has eyes everywhere. Even though he hates magic, he accepts that he has to have allies that use it to further his own goals. If you speak to the wrong person in the council, or even a close contact of your own, the inquiries will eventually reach him through someone in his pocket."

"Which means that we can't question Ansa or any of those guys again," Evergreen said.

"If the Magic Council took them into custody, then he knows that you're free," Lucy whispered, looking worriedly at Freed.

"Evergreen," Makarov said solemnly, "Inform Mira that no requests will be permitted today. Any solo mages that have already taken requests today will be held at the employer's location until another mage can join them."

"Yes, Master," Evergreen said, quickly jumping up and rushing out the door.

"Bickslow, gather the list of teams and solo mages. We will need to pair everyone up until further notice," Makarov continued.

"Got it, Boss," Bickslow shouted as he rushed out.

"Wendy?" Makarov's voice softened as the young girl jumped to attention. "You will be teamed up with Gajeel, dear. As an older Dragon Slayer with battle experience and no team, he will be a good match for you, and will be able to continue your training under his guidance. Please go let him know what is happening, and be safe."

"Yes Master," Wendy said with a small bow.

Makarov looked over at Lucy and Freed, then sighed.

"Blondie, you're on our team until further notice," Laxus stated before Makarov could say anything.

"Huh?!" Lucy shouted.

Freed and Makarov chuckled at her reaction, while Laxus just stared at her. "I said you're the newest member of the Raijinshuu. Temporarily. Who knows, we might even let you join if you end up being a good fit," he said with a smirk.

"As long as you're not doing this because I'm Freed's girlfriend," Lucy mumbled.

"Nope. I'm doing it because you saved his life. You've more than proven your worth, but we have to see how you work with the group. Plus, you would have to be willing to join. You being his girlfriend just means that he won't be so grumpy while we're on missions." Laxus gave her a huge, and slightly lecherous, grin.

 _Is he_ _ **grinning**_ _at me?!,_  Lucy shouted in her head. "O-Okay…"

"Well, that's settled then," Makarov said happily. He looked to Lucy and Freed again. "Why don't you two go off and relax? You've both had a very stressful day, it seems."

Freed and Lucy nodded, then stood up and walked out of Makarov's office. They sat down on a couch in the corner of the second floor, waiting for the speech that Makarov and Laxus were going to make.

"How are you holding up?" Lucy asked softly, laying her head on Freed's shoulder when he wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Better than I was when we got here," he said sadly.

Lucy leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, then they heard someone clearing their throat. She turned around to find the last person she wanted to see standing a few feet from the table. "What is it, Natsu?" she asked coldly.

"Luce… I'm sorry," Natsu said, his sadness radiating through his whole body. "Gajeel and Laxus said I should wait a few days until you weren't mad at me, but I wanted to apologize…"

Lucy took a deep breath, then said, "What are you sorry for, Natsu?"

"I… Look, I said I'm sorry, alright? Will you forgive me?" he said, starting to get angry again.  _Why won't she just accept my apology?_

Lucy tensed, then covered her left eye with her hand and said, "Natsu, if you're going to apologize, then you have to do it properly. Tell me what you're sorry for, or I won't forgive you."

"Why are you covering your eye?" he asked, losing focus on the task at hand and tilting his head to the side.

"I don't want to hurt you if I get mad at you." Lucy didn't like that she had no clue what had happened, why it had happened, or how to control the magic in her eye. She wasn't going to take any chances until she understood it.

"Oh… Well, I'm sorry for making you upset. And hurting your arm… And making you think that I thought you were a thing… Or something," he replied, getting confused towards the end.  _What was that word she used?_

"A possession, Natsu?" Lucy asked with a soft smile on her face.

"Yeah, that! I'm sorry, Luce…"

Lucy stood up, removing her hand from her eye, and walked to Natsu. When he flinched, she laughed and gave him a short hug. "You're forgiven. Master has an announcement, so wait downstairs, 'kay?"

"Aye sir!" Natsu shouted with his signature grin. He jumped over the railing and started a fight with Gajeel.

Lucy rolled her eyes and sat back down with Freed, leaning into his embrace again.

* * *

Freed smiled softly. Lucy had fallen asleep during Makarov's speech, and was curled up next to him. Her arm was wrapped around his waist, her head on his shoulder, and her legs were curled up beneath her on the couch. "Lucy," he whispered, brushing a hand through her hair. "Lucy…"

"Mmm… Five more minutes… Comfy…" she mumbled.

He chuckled and kissed her hair. "Come on, time to wake up," he whispered.

She stretched, then cuddled up against him again. "You're evil… Sleep is a wonderful thing…"

"I know, but you have to get up."

"Why?" she grumbled.

"Because Mira has been staring at you for the last five minutes and mumbling about blonde-haired, green-eyed babies," he said with a laugh.

Lucy shot up instantly, looking around for the demon barmaid.  _Oh god! Not now!_  She looked around again, then turned to glare at Freed. "That's just wrong," she said with a smirk.

Freed nodded, then leaned in to give her a swift peck on the cheek. "How about we go on that date?"

Lucy grinned and nodded excitedly. Then she stopped and said, "Do I need to change?"

Freed looked at her for a moment, then took in what she was wearing: a black t-shirt and a pair of skintight boot-cut jeans with her black ankle-high combat boots. "No, there's no need to change. Like I said, we'll just be relaxing. And now it's on Master's orders," he said with a smirk.

Lucy rolled her eyes and laughed. "Well, if Master Makarov _insists_  we go on a relaxing date, I guess we have no choice."

"Precisely."

The couple quickly made their way through the guild. Freed's anxiety at having so many people around still crept up, but in a matter of seconds, they were outside the guild and breathing in the fresh summer air.

"Oh! I forgot to get my reward money from Mira!" Lucy shouted, turning around to run inside.

"She brought it up while you were asleep," Freed said as he handed Lucy an envelope. "She did mention something about babies, but she rushed back downstairs before she fell over."

Lucy blushed, then took Freed's hand in hers and walked down the street, letting him lead the way. "So, where are we going?" she asked as they walked into a residential area.

"I was thinking we could spend the day at my home," Freed said with a blush. "Based on this morning, I don't think I can take you on a proper date just yet."

Lucy smiled. "Eventually, sweetie."

"Sweetie?" Freed mumbled, not realizing he had asked it out loud.

"Yep," Lucy chuckled. "You're a sweetheart, it only makes sense." She giggled as Freed blushed a shade of red that would rival Erza's hair.

"W-We're here," he stuttered, opening the gate and leading Lucy to the door.

"This is your house?" Lucy asked, astonished. It was a two-story white Victorian with a beautifully rich wooden banister surrounding the porch, and matching flooring. The shutters on the windows and the front door were a forest green, and the furniture was an elegantly crafted wrought-iron. The lawn was perfectly manicured, and there were short, squared hedges on either side of the cobblestone walkway.

Freed blushed and nodded as he led her to the door. He waved his hand over the knob, making the runes that protected his home flash for an instant before allowing him entry.

 _He has runes as a security system, how did I see that coming?,_  Lucy thought with a smile. If the outside was beautiful, then the inside was a masterpiece. The walls of the foyer, and every other room downstairs, were a light cream. Lucy gaped at how extravagant everything seemed, even though it was simplistically decorated. She quickly took off her shoes and walked across the cherry oak floors, taking everything in. When she heard a soft and slightly embarrassed chuckle from Freed, Lucy turned around.

"Would you like a tour?" he asked, a blush on his cheeks. He removed his jacket and sword, and his boots before slowly walking forward and taking Lucy's hand in his. No one had ever been to his home aside from the Raijinshuu and the cleaning service that came by every week to care for his home in case he was away on a mission. His team hardly ever came inside though, since he usually met them at the door while they were on their way to the train station or the guild. When Lucy nodded happily, Freed gently took her hand in his and led her through the house. "This is obviously the foyer," he said with a smirk.

Lucy smacked his arm playfully and smiled. She looked to the right and saw a den with a fireplace, and a wide hallway in front of them. Freed pointed out the bathroom, linen closet, living room, dining room, and kitchen. When they stopped in front of the stairs, Lucy said, "What's in that room over there?"

Freed smiled. It was the only room he hadn't shown her because he was sure she wouldn't want to leave it once she saw what was inside. "I'll show you in a minute." He led her up the stairs and showed her the three spare bedrooms—each decorated in accordance with the tastes of his teammates for the times that they needed to stay the night—another bathroom, and finally his room.

As they walked through the door to the master bedroom, Lucy's jaw dropped. Most of the house was simple and elegant, a clear sign of Freed's taste in decorations, and with the exclusion of the spare bedrooms, the walls were a light cream. His bedroom was so different from everything else. The walls were a dark green, and there was a large white rug at the foot of his bed.  _His bed… Oh man…_  Lucy thought with a blush. It was a four-poster king sized monster, with a lighter green and white bedspread. There was something about the room that made it feel like she was really seeing into who Freed was. She barely registered when Freed told her which door was the closet and which was the bathroom as she walked around the room. She smiled softly when she saw a single picture sitting on the dresser. It was a team photo of the Raijinshuu, and all of the members looked so young. Bickslow's tongue was hanging out, Evergreen had smiled gently with her head in her hand, Laxus had his arms crossed with a lecherous smirk. Freed's image had surprised her. His stoic face had been replaced with a soft and happy smile. She could see by the look in his eyes that he was ecstatic, and wondered what he would look like if he didn't hide it. She turned back and pressed a soft kiss to Freed's cheek. "Your house is lovely," she whispered.

He blushed and said, "Would you like to see that last room?" He led her back down the stairs and when they reached the door he gave her a small smile. "This is my favorite room in the house," he said as he opened the door.

Lucy walked inside and gasped. She instantly understood why he loved this room over all the others. Three of the walls were lined from floor to ceiling with books. In the nearest corner sat a large oak writing desk, and on the other side of the room was a grand piano. Once her eyes fell on the piano, Lucy lit up. "Freed, you play the piano?" she nearly screeched.

"Yes, my parents insisted I learn to play an instrument. I ended up discovering a deep love for music during my lessons."

"Would you play something for me?" Lucy whispered. Her parents had done the same thing, except her father had decided that it would be the piano for her instead of letting her make the decision herself. Even though she hadn't wanted to play it, she had learned quickly and had started composing her own music. Her creativity had died along with her mother. There was only one song that she had ever written, and Lucy had played it for her mom the week before she had passed. It held all of the emotions that Lucy had kept to herself during her mother's illness, and when that light was finally extinguished she couldn't bear to write another song.

"Lucy?" Freed asked, wiping a tear from her eye. She looked so lost when she looked at the piano, as if memories were flying just behind her eyes.

Lucy shook her head and gave Freed a grateful smile. "Sorry, I stopped playing when my mom died. It brought back a lot of memories."

"Well, if I play a song for you, then would do the same?" Freed asked hopefully as they sat down on the piano bench together.

Lucy hesitated for a second, running her fingers over the keys lightly, then said, "Okay… but, don't blame me if I'm a little rusty."

"Any requests?" he asked softly.

Lucy thought for a moment, then smiled reminiscently. "Do you know Beethoven's Sonata 17?"

Freed thought for a moment, furrowing his brow. "Is that  _The Tempest_?"

Lucy nodded, a hopeful look in her eyes. "My parents used to dance to it every time we had a party."

Freed nodded, looking down at the keys, when he suddenly remembered which song she wanted to hear. He looked up at her and his heart melted at the look on her face. "I would love to play it," he said with a smile. He couldn't suppress his chuckle when Lucy jumped up into the air and settled herself in his reading chair just next to the piano, tucking her legs under her and leaning against the arm of the chair with a smile on her face.

Lucy watched in awe as Freed's hands glided effortlessly up and down the piano keys. His body swayed slightly to the music, his eyes closed as if he was reading the music from the backs of his eyelids. It was beautiful. The song seemed to echo through the room, reminding her of the echoes that had filled the ballroom when her parents had danced. The music swelled and fell nearly silent, taking her breath away, and the content smile that barely showed on Freed's lips brought everything around them out of focus. All she saw was him in that moment, the music he pulled from the instrument before him barely heard over the pounding of her own heart. She was able to openly admire him again while his eyes were closed, taking in every single one of his facial features and locking them away in her memory. Slowly, the music filtered back into her ears and she blushed when he opened his eyes to look at her. There was something in his eyes that she couldn't describe when he looked at her, and she was content to sit there all day if he would just keep looking at her like that.

 _I've never seen her like this before,_  he thought as the song ended. She almost seemed like she was in a trance, a light blush on her cheeks and her lips barely parted. She was radiant, and for the first time in his life, Freed realized that he had found someone truly special to him. He didn't understand how Lucy could have such a hold over him in a short amount of time, and the darkness that curled within him wanted to recoil from her. His fear of letting anyone close to him, especially now that he knew his father had an agenda and planned to ruin his guild, crept up and tried to swallow him whole. As if sensing his distress, Lucy stood and wrapped her arms around Freed's shoulders from behind.

"Thank you, Freed. That was beautiful," she whispered softly.

 _No more beautiful than you, Lucy,_  he thought. Freed slowly raised his hands to hers and kissed them as they pulled away. "I believe it's your turn, Lucy."

Lucy giggled as they switched places, Freed standing behind her as she sat down on the bench. "What should I play?" she asked softly, leaning into his touch as his hands massaged her shoulders.

"Anything you'd like," he said with a smile.

Lucy blushed. "Well, there's one song that I'll always know by heart—I wrote it for my mom when she was sick. She's the only one that ever got to hear it…" She looked shyly up at Freed. "Would that do?"

He gave her an encouraging nod and sat down in the reading chair while she prepared to play.  _She used to write music. It seems her mother's death changed a lot about her._

Lucy took a deep breath, already hearing the song playing in her head. She found the right keys and slowly started to play the melody, making sure it was perfect. It was tentative at first, but after the first two runs, her confidence returned. She brought up her left hand and started the run through the bass notes, letting her emotions fill her to the brim while she played.

Freed watched Lucy's face go from reminiscent to pained, her eyebrows pushing together and a far off look in her eyes. The melody seemed hopeful, yet lost; it was truly enchanting. The accompanying bass only added to the effect as her fingers danced up and down the keys. Every time she reached the lowest portion of the bass run, he could almost feel a menacing darkness trying to encroach on the hope of her right hand. She had written the song, and he had discovered so much about her in just the single piece. He could feel her loneliness, her sadness, and the whirl of emotions gripped his heart like a vice. She hadn't played for very long before tears started to stream down her cheeks.

 _I miss you so much, Mom,_  Lucy thought as she tried to keep playing her song. She didn't know whether or not Freed was enjoying it, but suddenly she was lost to everything. Her hands kept their tempo on the keys and she realized that she had never actually finished writing it. When her mom had taken a turn for the worst, Lucy had wanted her to hear it even though it wasn't finished. Her mom had lit up from the inside that Lucy had written a song for her, and when Lucy had played it, she had eventually trailed off and stopped playing only to be pulled into her mother's embrace.

Lucy had stopped playing, her hands going completely still on the keys as she sat staring into space. Her tears flowed freely down her cheeks, and when she let out the softest of cries, Freed was instantly by her side and pulling her into his arms. She turned on the bench and buried her head in his chest, wrapping her arms tightly around his waist.  _I didn't realize her past had been so hard on her,_  he thought sadly. This single glimpse into the death of Lucy's mother was so at odds with the woman that had joined the guild with a bright smile and optimism shining in the darkest of times. Freed stroked her hair as her body shook with the intensity of her sobs, but he knew there was nothing he could say to take her pain away from her.

When Lucy's tears finally slowed, she sniffled and pulled away from Freed, wiping her eyes. "Sorry… I just…"

Freed took her hands in his, and looked deeply into her eyes. "There's no reason to be sorry for mourning, Lucy."

Lucy gave him a grateful smile, then turned back to the piano, patting the bench next to her. When Freed sat down with a questioning look on his face, she put her fingers back to the keys and motioned for him to do the same. "Play a song with me?" she whispered.

"Which song?" he asked with a smirk.

"Hm, how about Heart and Soul?" Lucy grinned. It was such a silly and happy song, the perfect thing to get her mind off of her mother.

Freed laughed and nodded as he started to play the beginning bass notes of the song. Chuckling when Lucy's sadness seemed to disappear with each staccato note he played. They played together perfectly, and when the song had finally ended, he was glad to see a smile back on her face. "That's much better," Freed said as he looked at her.

"What's better?"

"You're smiling again."

Lucy blushed again and looked at the time. "What would you like to do for lunch?"

Freed shrugged. He usually went out to eat somewhere, or made himself something simple. It was a great displeasure to him that his culinary abilities were horrendous. No matter how many times he tried, it never worked. After Evergreen and Bickslow got food poisoning from Freed's undercooked meal while they were on a mission, he was banned from cooking for good.

Lucy jumped up and said, "I'll go make us something!" She rushed out of the room before Freed could react and skipped into the kitchen. She looked in the refrigerator, then the freezer, then the pantry. "Freed?" she called out.

"Yes?" Freed said from the arch that led to the kitchen.

"KYAH!" Lucy jumped into the air, her hand held tightly to her chest while she tried to slow her racing heart.

Freed chuckled and said, "Is everything alright?"

Lucy playfully glared at him, then said, "There's no food in your house."

Freed grimaced. "I'm not the best cook, so I tend to go out to eat."

"You. Freed Justine. Are actually  _bad_  at something?!" Lucy gaped. "How are you bad at cooking? It's simple!" When Freed shrugged and looked away with an embarrassed blush on his cheeks, Lucy smiled softly and walked over to him. Wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing her lips to his ear, she whispered, "I'll figure something out."

Freed barely suppressed the shiver that threatened to run down his spine. He had thought that he was accustomed to Lucy being pressed against him, but this was somehow different. It could have been that look she gave him as she walked over, or just the barest touch of her breath that danced across his ear. Either way, he didn't know what to do. He slowly nodded when she pulled away to look at him.

Lucy smirked internally at Freed's reaction. It was innocent—honestly and truly innocent—until she had felt him tense up, his breath catching in his throat. When she pulled away, she saw slight confusion in his eyes and a fresh blush on his cheeks. As Lucy returned to the pantry and started looking at the few ingredients he had, she said, "You can stay in here if you'd like, but you're not obligated to. I can call you when it's ready."

Freed nodded absently and walked back into the office. He looked over to the piano, and felt his heart swell. He had really enjoyed himself, and the fact that Lucy played—and was very good at it—as well made him ecstatic. Deciding he would get started on the research he had planned out earlier, Freed took down several books from the shelves and sat down at his desk.

Virgo, the ever-helpful spirit, appeared in front of Lucy with three bento boxes after watching Lucy curse the lack of food in Freed's house for fifteen minutes. "Princess," Virgo said with a bow, "I have prepared lunch for you and your companion."

Lucy grinned at Virgo, placing the boxes on the counter and pulling her spirit in for a big hug. "Thank you, Virgo! I had no idea what I was going to do."

Once the hug ended, Virgo smirked and said, "If my Princess makes a list, I can go grocery shopping so this does not happen in the future."

Lucy nodded, looking for a pen and paper. When she didn't see them in the kitchen, she skipped into the office. She paused in the doorway when she saw him. Freed was sitting at his desk, a stack of books on one side with four books opened and scattered across the top of the desk. He had rolled up his sleeves and was leaning over, his eyes quickly shooting from one book to the next. She giggled internally when she saw the slight crease in his brow from concentration, and noticed that his hair was tucked behind his ear so it didn't get in the way. Lucy cleared her throat softly when he didn't seem to notice her, and when he looked up and grinned at her, she grinned right back. "I need a pen and paper," she said as she walked over to stand next to him, leaning against the desk.

Freed cocked his eyebrow in question, but handed her what she needed. He blushed when Lucy kissed his cheek, and it only worsened when she turned around and bent over the desk to write, giving him a fine view of her backside and slender legs being hugged ever-so-tightly by her jeans.

Lucy couldn't seem to see what she was writing. She could tell that the pen was touching the paper, and that she was writing something, but it was blurry. She furrowed her brow and squinted her eyes, hoping it would help. Nothing worked. Finally, she grunted in frustration and tossed the pen on the table. "Virgo, can you come here, please?" she called out, knowing that Virgo was waiting on the other side of the door.  _That little mischievous spirit. She's probably hoping she'll hear something dirty._

"Yes, Princess?" Virgo asked as she stepped into the room. She gave Freed a short bow in greetings and smiled when she saw the blush on his cheeks, and his eyes quickly looking anywhere but at Lucy's bent form in front of him.

Lucy rubbed her eyes, then looked back at the paper. "Can you write the list down for me? I can't seem to see properly."

Freed sat forward, concern etched on his face. "Lucy?"

Lucy looked over at Freed, noticing that he didn't seem blurry. She grabbed the paper and turned back to him, holding the paper at arm's length—just next to his face—and tried to read what she had written. She could at least see that there were pen marks on the paper, but had no idea what they said. She grunted in frustration again, then saw how concerned Freed was. "I can't read anything. It's all blurry. It's only…" She turned to try and read the books Freed had been scouring when she walked in, then turned back to face him. "I can see just fine until I try to read…" Lucy's head dropped and she felt Virgo take the paper from her before leaving the room.

Freed's brow creased again at the newest revelation. He pulled Lucy into his lap, noticing the blush on her cheeks, then pulled a book forward. "Close your right eye and tell me if you can read it," he whispered.

She did as he said, and her vision went completely fuzzy when she tried to focus on the words on the page. She opened her eye and shook her head, sighing in defeat.

"Alright, now close your left eye and try."

Lucy closed her left eye, fearing that it would be the same. The words didn't seem to be affected at all. She was able to read everything on the page. Lucy squealed and yelled out, "I'm not blind! I can still read!" She clapped and bounced with her excitement, then turned around and hugged Freed.

 _Thank Mavis she stopped bouncing,_  he thought as he hugged her back. "I don't think I've ever seen someone so excited about reading," Freed said with a smirk.

Lucy pulled back, still grinning widely. "I love reading, Freed! Besides, how would I be able to write my novel if I can't see what I'm writing?" Lucy hugged him again, still filled with happiness that it wasn't as bad as she had thought. She laid her head on his shoulder, sighing happily when she felt his hand rest on her mid-thigh rubbing slow circles with his thumb. Suddenly, Lucy shot up and looked at him. "I forgot about lunch! You didn't have much for me to work with, so Virgo took pity on us and made us something." Lucy stood up quickly, dragging Freed behind her into the kitchen, then redirecting to the dining room when she saw that Virgo had gotten everything set up.

Freed chuckled at Lucy's hyperactive mood. It was refreshing, to say the least, to see her the way she used to be. Energetic, truly happy, positively radiant. Her smile lit up the room, and he was no match to fight against it.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone that's interested, here are the songs (on youtube) that Freed and Lucy played during the piano scene:
> 
> Song 1: Beethoven's Piano Sonata 17: The Tempest (youtube.com/watch?v=6KMGcOYHSs0)
> 
> Song 2: Melissa's Piano Piece, from Parasite Eve (video game) (youtube.com/watch?v=LvqiLb09Yio)
> 
> Song 3: Heart and Soul, Piano Duet (youtube.com/watch?v=WmsKqfxTwcE)


	4. Aquarius

Lucy sighed happily as she and Freed got ready to watch a movie after dinner. Virgo had gone grocery shopping, so Lucy was able to actually make Freed a home-cooked meal. The way his eyes lit up as he took the first bite, and the compliments he had given her culinary skills, had put a blush on her cheeks. Sure, her old team had complimented her cooking before, but they had never worded it so beautifully before. When Freed had told her the story of when he was banned from cooking on missions, she hadn't been able to stifle her laughter. Apparently, Laxus didn't trust the meat that had been made, and Freed had just gotten lucky; poor Evergreen and Bickslow had food poisoning and never let him live it down.

"What would you like to watch?" Freed asked. He was curious to see what she would choose. Lucy didn't seem like the type of person that enjoyed horror movies, but she might be interested in some romantic comedy.

"Oh! How about this one?" Lucy said excitedly. She pulled the movie out from the shelf, noting that Freed definitely had an eclectic selection. She turned around excitedly, her left eye still closed so she could read the title. "I haven't seen this move in ages."

Freed chuckled and nodded. He didn't really mind what they watched. He had seen nearly every movie that was on the shelf, even though most of them belonged to his teammates. He looked down at the title and his eyebrows rose in surprise.  _I didn't expect her to choose this one._

Lucy nodded, sitting down on the couch while Freed got everything set up. Once he sat down next to her, she smiled and asked, "So, what's your favorite movie?"

Freed shrugged. "I don't usually watch movies. I listen to them while my team watches though."

Lucy giggled, "Let me guess, you sit in a chair and read?"

Freed gave her a soft smile and nodded. "I usually have something more important to do. However, I believe that tonight is a completely different case."

Lucy nodded happily. As the movie started, Lucy tucked her feet under her and leaned into Freed as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. They were about halfway through the movie when she realized that he seemed distracted. His thumb was lazily drawing circles on her arm, and when she peeked up at him he seemed to have a far-off look in his eyes. She sat up a little bit and looked at him, furrowing her brow. "Hey, is everything alright?" she asked softly.

"Just thinking," he said absently, still staring off into the distance.

Lucy rolled her eyes, then leaned over and pressed a quick kiss to his cheek and giggled when he blushed. "What are you thinking so hard about?"

"My father," he said with a sigh. "I can't understand why he would be doing this now. Unless he's fallen ill and wants to be rid of me."

Lucy thought for a moment. "Then, why would he want to attack Fairy Tail?"

Freed's eyebrows scrunched together. "That's what I can't understand."

"Well, why don't you tell me about him? Maybe there's something we're missing," Lucy said as she turned to face Freed, crossing her legs while she sat sideways on the couch.

"There's not much to tell. He's a wealthy businessman, shrewd and unforgiving when it comes to money. He hates mages, though I'm not sure why. Like I said at the guild, he employs them because he accepts that they can further his own goals," he said, turning to face Lucy and crossing his legs as well.

"He sounds like my dad… Well, the way he was before I ran away," Lucy whispered. "What made you leave?"

"He wanted me to take over his business, and I wanted to join Fairy Tail. He said that magic was a waste of my time and my intelligence. We were always taught that mages were incapable of being happy because they were always fighting. My younger brothers seem to have taken to his way of thinking, and we have drifted apart over the years." He took Lucy's hands in his, running his thumbs over them as he spoke. "I had several heated discussions with my father over my future, and eventually I decided that I couldn't be a part of that world when I realized how many possibilities I had as a mage. I told him that I was leaving just after breakfast that day. He said I was a fool, and that I was clearly no son of his. I ignored everything he told me and said that I was renouncing my claim to his business, then I left."

"How long ago was that?" Lucy asked softly.

"I joined Fairy Tail three years before you did. Once I left my father's estate, I immediately made my way here. I met Laxus shortly after, and we have been a team ever since," he said reminiscently.

"Well, your father sounds like an idiot," Lucy said firmly, a scowl on her face. "I mean, sure. Knowing about business transactions and takeovers, finances, 'proper etiquette', and how to look down on other people with your nose turned up in the air is all well and good," she mumbled sarcastically. "But, what kind of dunce thinks that magic is a waste of your  _intelligence_? You have to use tactics to survive a fight. Not to mention the amount of other types of magic that are floating around out there that a mage has to figure out how to face without getting killed. Business tactics and fighting tactics are essentially the same thing. If you want to take over another business, without paying tons of money to do it, you find their weakness and exploit it. It's not pretty, but it happens. It's the same when you face off against another mage. You find their weakness and use it to your advantage—"

Freed watched Lucy ranting, smiling as she scrunched her nose while she talked. He found himself enjoying how much she knew about his previous life—because she had been raised so similarly to himself—and the way she made connections between the two. Over the course of a single day, Lucy had left him awestruck, bewildered, and thoroughly confused. What struck him as odd was that he didn't seem to mind the effect she had on him. He was more accustomed to being in control of everything he handled, yet she had a way of getting past that.

"—Then there's the fact that you're a  _genius._  Your magic pretty much requires it. It takes tons of planning and time to accomplish the things you do. You have to anticipate the enemies' moves, their thought processes, their strengths and weaknesses. Plus you have to understand Mavis-only-knows how many languages and types of grammar to decode someone else's runes, or write yours so that they're more difficult to break or re-write. It's based on logic, and one logical fallacy in your runes can completely negate everything you were workin—"

Freed quickly leaned forward, pressing his lips to hers and cupping her neck with his hand. He had apparently caught her off-guard and Lucy fell backwards, sprawling out beneath him on the couch and pulling him down with her. When she made no move to stop kissing him, but mewled lightly as he unconsciously settled himself between her legs, he kissed her more urgently. Before he realized what he was doing, his tongue flicked out to run across her lower lip.

Lucy had no idea what had caused Freed to kiss her the way he was, but she wasn't going to complain. She loved the feel of his soft lips moving against hers, and when his tongue brushed against her lip she gasped. She felt him smirk as he tentatively brushed his tongue along the inside of her lip, almost as if he was making sure she wanted what he was offering. She could have melted into a puddle right then when he took her lack of a response as acquiescence and gently glided his tongue along hers. Her hands traveled up to run along his back, feeling the lean muscles under his surprisingly soft shirt as she explored. Lucy pulled his lower lip into her mouth and sucked on it for the briefest of seconds, before he plunged his tongue back into her mouth with a groan. She smiled into the kiss when his chest pressed more tightly to hers, the small movement making her let out a whimper.

Freed was shocked by her response to him. He had finally realized just how they had landed, but when her hands moved lightly over his back, he couldn't help but let out a small groan of approval. The way she had taken the lead and sucked gently on his lip had his body reacting in a way he never would have imagined. He pressed himself closer to her as he dominated the kiss again, his breath catching in his throat when he heard the noise she let out. He carefully moved his free hand to her waist and rubbed small circles with his thumb as they slowed and finally pulled away. He looked into her eyes, dazzled by the beauty he found in them. They were both slightly breathless, and he smirked when she leaned up to kiss him chastely.

Lucy looked up into his deep green eyes and whispered, "Well, that was unexpected." It was odd to her that she didn't mind the position they were in, though it brought about a deep blush across her cheeks. She was glad that the injury on her lips hadn't started hurting while they kissed, but still felt a little self-conscious about it.  _That tongue of his…_  She hadn't known that a kiss could feel that way, and it took her breath away. Freed had been gentle, yet still dominated once he brushed against her.

"I thoroughly enjoyed your description of my magic," Freed said with a blush.

Lucy grinned slyly and said, "I see. I'll be sure to remember that when I want another kiss like that one."

"I don't think I've ever met someone that understands it as completely as you do, Lucy," he whispered, still caught in her gaze.

"Levy understands it better than I do, Freed. She's the one that taught me most of what I know about it," Lucy said guiltily.

Freed pressed another soft kiss to her lips before saying, "Yes, but there's more than just runes where my magic is concerned. You also understand how my own history has affected it, and I doubt many others in the guild have come to that realization. Besides, I wouldn't have had the same reaction if Levy had been the one to say all those things."

Lucy put on a fake pout. "Well, I should hope not, Freed. Kissing someone that isn't your girlfriend… How rude." She turned her head to the side in mock offense, stifling the giggle that threatened to crawl out of her when she heard his chuckled response.

"How rude, indeed," he whispered, kissing her cheek. When he looked over at Lucy's smiling face, he couldn't help but smile himself. Her brilliant smile quickly disappeared when she brought her fingers to her lips and started tracing the wound there. "Does it hurt?" he asked guiltily. He hadn't been thinking—which was rare for him, although it was more common when Lucy was around—when he'd kissed her, and worried that he may have hurt her while she was still healing.

Lucy turned to look at him, confusion written all over her face. When Freed motioned to where her fingers still sat on her lips, she blushed. "Oh, no it doesn't hurt." She paused, trying to decide if she wanted to open up about what was bothering her. She had been thinking about the kiss they had just shared. She could still feel the warmth of his lips on hers, and the feeling of his tongue sliding and battling with her own made her insides melt. However, even with all of that, with how much she had enjoyed kissing him, she was worried. Lucy couldn't understand how Freed had no issue kissing her while she was injured, his lips brushing right against the scabs on her upper and lower lip as if nothing was wrong. She was adamant about having the scar on her face as a reminder, and it didn't seem as though she had much of a choice since Wendy couldn't heal the wound made from Freed's sword anyway. What bothered her was that Freed acted as if it wasn't there at all, but she couldn't understand what exactly was bothering her about it. She saw that he never looked at the wound running across her face, and only into her eyes. When he did look at more than her eyes, she didn't see a hint of disgust in his gaze almost as if the injury didn't even exist. Lucy had never had a boyfriend before, and had certainly never been kissed before Freed. She didn't know what to make of everything that she was going through, and loneliness swept over her when she thought that she didn't have anyone to confide in. Every one of her friends that had any experience with men were either too forward, like Cana and Mira, or too shy, like Levy. Just as Lucy wished her mom were still around to talk through this with her, she felt her keys warm up on her hip. She jumped, causing Freed to sit up suddenly with a guilty look on his face.

Freed didn't know what to make of Lucy's expressions. She was clearly deep in thought, but her face changed as quickly as her thoughts did. He carefully watched each one flit across her face, wondering how she was able to let her emotions sit so openly there. Even though she had seemed withdrawn before, she had still been friendly to everyone. He realized that though she had tried to keep herself closed off from people, she hadn't had enough time to learn how to mask her emotions like he had. She was willful and free-spirited, but he could tell that there was something that held her back. Indecision, lust, worry, confusion, determination, sadness, more confusion, affection, loneliness, and finally ending with sadness. When she jumped, he sat up thinking that she was alarmed by their proximity or the fact that he was clearly observing her, but then she looked down at the keys on her hips in wonder. She seemed to be having some sort of conversation because her face contorted with concentration while she looked down at them.

Lucy looked up at Freed wide-eyed after talking with the spirit that had gotten her attention. "Freed, I need to summon one of my spirits," she said. "But, I need water to do it."

"How much water do you need?" he asked, wondering which spirit had contacted her. He didn't know the names of all of the keys she had, but he couldn't place which one would need water to be summoned based on the limited knowledge he had of her magic.

Lucy blanched when she said, "Well, technically I could summon her in a puddle, but last time I did that she 'accidentally' swept me away with her attack on the enemies. So, the more water the better."

Freed nodded, confused as to why one of Lucy's spirits would attack her. He slowly stood up, grasping her hand gently and leading her to the back door of the house through the kitchen. "I believe there's only one part of my house you haven't seen yet, Lucy," he said with an embarrassed blush. He hadn't thought to show her the backyard earlier because he was excited to see her reaction to the office.

Lucy slowly walked down the solid wooden steps from his back porch, marveling at the lush greenery that surrounded it. There was a wooden fence that made up the perimeter of Freed's property, but it was completely blocked from view by tall hedges. There was a small flowerbed just next to the stairs, and a large tree in the far corner. The grass was a vibrant and healthy green, perfectly manicured just like the front, but what caught her eye was the pool. His yard was large enough to accommodate a decently sized pool while still leaving plenty of room for activities in the yard, and she gaped at it.

Freed blushed again and said, "Will this do?"

Lucy turned and wrapped her arms around Freed's shoulders. "It's perfect. I don't think Aquarius will be mad if I summon her in there."

"Aquarius? Isn't she a Zodiac key?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Lucy nodded, pulling out Aquarius' key and showing him. "She's one of the twelve Zodiac keys. I got her and Cancer from my mom before she died. I was supposed to get Capricorn too, but he was stolen and I didn't find him until later. I was so lonely when I was a kid that I used to summon her just so I had someone to play with," she said fondly, running her thumb along the key while she spoke. "She felt my emotions while we were inside, and got my attention. She said she wanted to talk to me but wouldn't say what it was about."

Freed nodded, running his hands slowly up and down her back.

"Would you like to watch me summon her? I'm sure she wants to meet you," Lucy said with a bright smile.

He couldn't help but return her smile, although much more subdued, and whispered, "Of course I would."

Lucy turned and walked towards the pool, leaving Freed where he stood. Taking a deep breath, Lucy gathered her courage and magical energy, her feet in a wide stance. With all the authority she possessed, because Aquarius refused to be summoned any other way, she shouted, "Open the Gate of the Water Bearer!" She placed the tip of the key into the water, and smiled as the dark blue magic circle appeared. "Aquarius!"

Freed's eyes widened when he saw the mermaid spirit emerge from the water, her hair flipping back over her head as she looked at Lucy. He recognized her instantly. She was the one that Lucy had summoned during the S-Class trials that had knocked him and Bickslow out. He stayed very still, remembering just how much her attack had actually hurt back then, and hoping that she wouldn't see him as a threat to Lucy.

"Hey, brat," Aquarius said with a smirk. "Did you get a boyfriend yet?"

Lucy smiled and blushed. "Actually, I did." She skipped over to Freed and pulled him to stand next to the pool. "Freed, this is Aquarius. Aquarius, I'd like for you to meet my boyfriend, Freed Justine."

Freed, not knowing what else to do in this situation, bowed his head slightly in greeting and said, "It's a pleasure to finally be formally introduced to you, Aquarius." When he raised his head again, he saw the flicker of understanding in her eyes.

"Lucy, isn't this the one that I attacked during your S-Class thing?" Aquarius asked, eying Freed up and down. She wouldn't admit it, but he was a good-looking guy. She could see how Lucy would be attracted to the green-haired mage, even if he resembled everything in the young blonde's old life that she had run away from.

Lucy thought for a moment, then smacked a hand to her forehead only to wince in pain when she struck the wound on her face. She hissed, then waved Freed off before he could ask if she was alright, and said through gritted teeth, "Yeah, Aquarius. I completely forgot about that… I'm sorry."

Aquarius gave her a quick nod, and watched with a small smile as Freed leaned in to tell Lucy he would leave them to their conversation then gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He looked to Aquarius, and showed a small smile, then nodded as he left.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Lucy asked, the blush still reddening her cheeks from Freed's short kiss.

"Come sit down with me, Lucy," Aquarius said softly. She lowered herself into the water, crossing her arms on the edge of the pool.

Lucy nodded, still unsure as to what had caused the sudden mood change in Aquarius, and rolled up her pants so she could dip her feet into the pool. Once she was settled, she looked expectantly at her friend and waited.

"What's wrong?" Aquarius asked, her voice filled with concern but still hardly more than a whisper.

"What do you mean? I'm fine," Lucy replied, looking from Aquarius into the water where her feet swayed back and forth.

"I mean, all of us have felt your emotions for the past few months. You've been so upset and lonely. We all know what happened with your team, but we didn't want to interfere because we knew you would talk to us when you were ready." Aquarius sighed, placing one hand gently on Lucy's leg. "We all watched you last night when you saved him. You know I did because you called Scorpio out."

"I'm sorry he got hurt," Lucy said guiltily.

Aquarius just waved her off and said, "He's already healed. We were about to go on a date when I felt how confused you were. Then that you were missing your mom. I checked in on you to see what was happening, and I was definitely surprised to see Freed on top of you on a couch." She chuckled lightly as Lucy blushed again. "Virgo says you're really close to him."

Lucy nodded, still not able to meet her friend's eyes. "I saved his life. I guess I just understand what he's going through because it's happened to me so many times."

"Then why are you confused?"

Lucy sighed, looking at up at the stars and smiling at the constellations above them. "I guess I just don't understand what he sees in me. If you were watching, then you saw how I got hurt." She motioned to the gash across her face and grimaced.

Aquarius nodded, but stayed silent so Lucy could finish.

"He looks at me like there's not some nasty cut on my face. It's like it doesn't exist to him. I don't understand it."

"I know there's more. You can talk to me, Lucy." Aquarius rested her head in the palm of her hand and gave Lucy an encouraging smile when their eyes finally met.

"Well, we hardly know much about each other aside from what we've learned over the years at the guild. Even still, it's not much… But, he helped me last night when I broke down about not being weak or needing help. And then I kissed his forehead when I laid him back in bed to rest. I opened up to his team, even though I was scared to let anyone in again. He lets me run my hands through his hair, when he's never let anyone else do that. When he asked if I would stay next to him so he could sleep, I crawled right into the bed and curled up against him like it was the most normal thing in the world. When we woke up, there wasn't any awkwardness about how we were laying even though we were both blushing like crazy. Then I kissed him while we were talking. I don't know why I did it, but it just felt right."

Aquarius smiled fondly. She remembered being just as confused as Lucy before she had started dating Scorpio, and finally understood why Lucy had wished her mom was still around. The girl needed someone to talk to so she could sort everything out.

"Then we played a little game, and he ended up asking me to be his girlfriend. I was shocked, but I said yes and it made me so happy that he had asked. It was like the past three months hadn't happened at all. Like he hadn't almost died, and I didn't have broken ribs and all that. It's just all so sudden, and I'm worried that we're moving too fast. Especially since I still don't understand why he would be interested in me. We hardly spoke before yesterday, and then this morning he wanted to date me." Lucy paused, trying to sort through everything that was running through her mind. "I haven't let anyone get close since my team broke up, but something about seeing him hurt and understanding how hard everything was going to be for him made me feel like I could trust him, you know?"

Aquarius nodded, keeping her silence.

"And then this morning! We went to the guild, and everyone found out we're together and crowded around us. Freed ended up freaking out by all of the people around, and had a panic attack because of what he went through while he was being tortured. I felt so stupid for not realizing that he might not be able to handle a big crowd…" Lucy looked back into the water, shame wafting from her in droves. As she continued, her voice became lighter, happier, as if she hadn't a care in the world. "We came back here and spent the whole day together. We played the piano—I played him the song I wrote for mom. Do you remember that?"

"I loved that song," Aquarius whispered. She had kept an eye on Layla during her final days from the Spirit World, and had gotten to hear the beautiful piece that Lucy wrote.

Lucy blushed. "We talked all day, and I know much more about him than I did before. And then that last kiss…" She looked to Aquarius again. "I don't understand how he can kiss me when I'm like this." Lucy motioned to her injured lips again. "I thought that if I shut everyone out, I wouldn't get hurt. If I didn't rely on other people, then no one could leave me alone again. But, with him… I didn't want to be comforted by anyone because I thought it would make me weak, but there was something inside of me that just accepted comfort from him willingly. It made me  _want_ to open up to him. I feel like I can trust him, but I'm scared that I'll just get hurt. I'm so confused, Aquarius…"

The mermaid spirit pulled herself from the water, sitting next to Lucy and pulling her gently into her arms. "Well, I've got quite a few things to say to you Lucy, and I hope that I can help. First, I wish you had called me out sooner to talk to you. I know I'm always yelling at you when you summon me, but I'm still your friend and I'll help you whenever you need it."

Lucy nodded. It was so strange to see Aquarius acting this way, but she wasn't going to fight it.

"Next, as far as your relationship with Freed. All of your spirits approve of him. Scorpio, Virgo, and Taurus saw firsthand the state he was in last night, while the rest of us watched over you. We're proud of how you handled yourself during that fight—especially Capricorn—and even prouder that you cared for him regardless of your own injuries." Aquarius sighed, running her hand along Lucy's arm. "I'm not sure what  _he_  sees in you as far as why he asked you out, but you'll only know that answer if you ask him. I can tell you that I saw how you two looked at each other, and it's very obvious he cares about you."

"How can you tell?" Lucy asked softly. She felt like she was actually with her mother right then, and she knew Aquarius felt it too.

"There's something in his eyes when he looks at you. It's different from the way he looked at me, which was more fear than anything else at first, and it's different from how he looks at his surroundings. There was so much affection in them, it was actually pretty surprising." Aquarius laughed a little before saying, "You look at him the same way, you know."

"I… do?"

"Yeah. And as far as him not looking at that cut on your face, and how he can kiss you even though your lips are hurt too? Well, I would ask him to see what he says, but I have a theory. Wanna hear it?"

"Please?" Lucy whispered. With every word that came from her spirit, she felt her confidence being restored. It was exactly what she needed to hear, and she knew that Aquarius really did care about her.

"My theory is that he doesn't see it because you're still beautiful to him. You could probably be bandaged in three feet of gauze and he would look at you as if you're the most beautiful woman in the world. When you find someone special that you really care about—even when it's in the beginning stages—you can look past their flaws to see how wonderful they truly are."

"He did say that my new eye is the most beautiful thing he's ever seen," Lucy whispered. "But I know he feels guilty because it was his sword that did it. That's why it's like this. Wendy tried to heal it and something happened to make the magic that was imbued in his sword transfer to my eye."

"Well, he'll get over that guilt eventually. And of course he thinks it's beautiful, it's on you. Not to mention that it really does look pretty cool—but you didn't hear that from me." Aquarius finished with a smirk, squeezing Lucy's shoulder lightly.

After a few minutes, Lucy looked up and asked, "But, what if we're moving too fast?"

Aquarius just shook her head. "No one can tell you how fast is too fast, except for the two of you. If you want to do something with him, and he reciprocates, then go ahead. You're a grown woman, Lucy. You can make those decisions for yourself. Besides, you've only been together a day, right? I think kissing and getting a little tongue action is just right." When Lucy blushed a deep red, Aquarius laughed again. "Take your time and get to know him better, but when the time comes and you're both ready to take the next step, then don't let anything stop you. It doesn't matter if it's a little step or a big one, because taking that step will make you happy when the time is right. It's perfectly fine to tell him that you're not ready for something, so don't feel like you're obligated if he initiates anything. He seems like a real gentleman, and Leo confirmed it for us after he spoke with you two, so I doubt he'll try to force anything on you. And, even if he did… I might just have to force my gate open and drown him."

Lucy giggled, then squeezed Aquarius' waist in a hug. "Thank you, Aquarius." They sat together for a few minutes, then she said, "So, if it feels right I shouldn't fight it? Like kissing him this morning?"

"Exactly. You humans spend all your lives fighting what you feel, and never letting yourselves be happy because of it. You don't have all the time in the world to mess around. And mages have even less time because you're in more danger on a daily basis. So, if you want to kiss your  _boyfriend_ , then go ahead and kiss him without worrying about what your dad would have said."

"How did you—"

Aquarius smiled. "No matter what, I'll always remember what it was like for you growing up, Lucy. I know you left that life behind, and I'm glad you did. But, I also know that everything you learned back then is ingrained in you, and that's what's causing you to doubt yourself. You've got something special with Freed, I can see it. So, don't let your doubts and fears get in the way of both of your happiness, okay?"

Lucy nodded and hugged Aquarius again. "I don't know what I'd do without you, Aquee…" She hadn't used that nickname for Aquarius since she was a little girl, but with the way Aquarius had been so caring and gentle during their conversation, Lucy felt nostalgic. When Lucy was younger, she had seen Aquarius as a fun aunt, a stand-in for her own mother after she had died, and her only friend. Aquarius had always been happy to spend time with Lucy once she realized how alone the little girl was, and Lucy would never forget how much it had meant to her.

"Psh," Aquarius said, rolling her eyes with a blush on her cheeks, "You'd be lost without me, Lulu. Now, go in there and have a talk with your boyfriend. I've gotta get back to mine so we can go on a date."

Lucy let go of Aquarius and watched her move back into the water.

Just before Aquarius left, she smiled at Lucy and said, "If you ever need relationship advice, you know who to call. Scorpio and I have been together for centuries, so I think I might know a thing or two that can help." With that, she disappeared back to the Spirit World, only to be pulled into a steamy kiss from Scorpio.

* * *

"Hey baby," Scorpio whispered as he pulled away from a blushing Aquarius. "Virgo said you went to talk to Lucy about her new man. Everything alright?"

Aquarius nodded, laying her head on his chest. "She needed someone to help her sort everything out. Who better out of all of her spirits than the one with a boyfriend? I went through the same thing when you and I got together."

"Really?" he asked, furrowing his brow. After all their time together, somehow Aquarius was still able to surprise him.

She laughed lightly and said, "Yes. It's a girl thing. Even for spirits, you silly scorpion."

"So what was wrong anyway?" Scorpio slowly started walking them towards the door so they could start on their date.

"She doesn't get why he wants to be with her. Can't understand how he can even kiss her with that cut on her face. Then the normal girly insecurities: wondering if they're moving too fast, if she can trust him since she's been hurt so many times, why he seems to be able to get her to let him in and help her even when she doesn't want to." She smiled, knowing exactly what Scorpio was about to say.

"Well, that's what happens when you're in love, baby," he whispered into her blue hair.

"I know, but I didn't tell her that."

"Why not?"

Aquarius smiled at him. "Because half of the fun is figuring out you're in love with someone. You remember how it felt when you realized you were in love with me, right?"

Scorpio grinned, holding the door open for her as they left the room. "Yeah, baby. It was…"

"Magical," she said with a sigh. "Besides, if I told her tonight she probably would have freaked out. I gave her some hints, but nothing substantial. She'll look back on our conversation when she realizes it and see what I did. Lulu's a smart girl."

"I haven't heard you call her that in a long time," he whispered.

"That's because this is the first time in forever that she's really needed to have a mother figure in her life," Aquarius said, slightly saddened by how hard Lucy's life had been after Layla was gone. "I'm glad she's strong enough to take care of herself, but it wasn't until today that she really wished her mom was there for something so important. I'm the closest she has to a mom, and I couldn't just leave her all alone."

"Well, you make a great mom. We all know you're good at disciplining Lucy," Scorpio said with a chuckle. "You nearly drown her every time she summons you!" He burst out into a full fit of laughter.

Aquarius elbowed him lightly and said, "She can take it."

They walked for a few more minutes before Scorpio looked down at the serene beauty that was his girlfriend. "Did you tell her the other thing though? Especially since she's with  _him_?"

Aquarius' eyes widened when she realized what Scorpio was talking about, then she smirked. "No. That had slipped my mind, actually. But, she'll find out sooner or later. I'll come clean when she finds out, I promise."

* * *

Lucy looked at the spot that Aquarius was for a long time, pulling her feet from the pool as the night air started to give her a chill. She stayed outside, letting her feet dry and looking up at the stars.  _Mom, I'm so glad Aquarius has been in my life all this time. She knew just what to say._  When a second, more powerful breeze swept through the yard, Lucy stood up and walked inside. The kitchen light was still on, so she was able to see as she walked through. Looking down the hallway, Lucy saw a sliver of light coming from the cracked door of the office. She quietly walked down towards it and pushed the door open. Freed was sitting back at his desk just as he had been earlier in the day, pouring over each of the books in front of him. He didn't notice her head peeking around the door, so she closed it again and decided to take a shower. They had already agreed that she would stay the night here with him. As Lucy walked up the stairs she remembered how embarrassed Freed had been when he had asked her to stay.

~.~

"Lucy," Freed said softly, looking over the mound of books piled on his desk. When she looked up from the book she was trying to read, her left eye covered so it wasn't blurry, and smiled at him he said, "I have a question for you."

"Sure, what's up?" Lucy said happily, lowering her hand from her eye while she looked at Freed.

He blushed, his nerves instantly taking over. "W-Well… I was wondering if… Maybe…" He looked away, taking a deep breath. "Would you like to stay here tonight?"

Lucy furrowed her brow, wondering why he had such a hard time asking her. She marked her place in the book and set it on the table next to her, then stood and walked around the desk to lean on it. "Of course," she whispered softly, watching him nervously running his fingers across the pages in front of him. "Is something wrong?"

"Hm? Oh. N-No," he said with a strained smile. When she gave him a pointed look he said, "I just enjoy your company, and was wondering if you would want to stay here. That way we wouldn't have to worry about getting you home too late."

"I don't believe you," Lucy said, crossing her arms indignantly. "I know you won't lie since that goes against everything you believe in. But not telling me the whole truth is just bending that rule, not breaking it."

Freed's mouth dropped.

Lucy smiled sweetly. "I thought so. So tell me what's wrong."

He dropped his head in defeat. "It's ridiculous. I shouldn't have asked."

Lucy leaned forward, running her fingers through his bangs and slowly pushing his head up. "It's not ridiculous, so tell me what's bothering you. Please?" She pouted at him after asking her question, and smiled when he gave her a light chuckle.

"I was hoping you would stay tonight so that I don't have to worry about having another nightmare," Freed admitted. "Though, I understand if you wish to sleep in your own bed, so I won't be upset if you decide to go home. I should probably get used to having them anyway. It's not like you can always sleep next to me." Once he finished speaking, and realized what he'd said, Freed's eyes widened and he blushed a deep crimson. "What I mean is… Well…"

Lucy giggled at how flustered he had gotten over a simple statement. She placed a finger to his lips and said, "Freed, I'm here to help you. I'm fine with sleeping next to you if it helps you sleep, so there's nothing to worry about. Thank you for asking me to stay the night."

He looked into her eyes and nodded slowly, reveling in the feel of her finger slowly leaving his lips and trailing down his chin.

"Why don't we go sit in the living room and talk? We can do some more research in a little while," Lucy said with a smile. When Freed nodded again, clearly still in deep thought over something, Lucy gently took his hands and led him out of the office.

~.~

Lucy walked into Freed's room and saw the small bag that Virgo had brought over for her. She pulled out a green lace undergarment set and started to look for something to wear to bed. She saw her clothes for the next day, and then pulled out the only other piece of fabric in the bag. It was a skimpy sheer white babydoll. She threw it back into the bag as if it was a snake, and promptly closed it. There was no way that she would be wearing something like to while she was sleeping next to Freed.  _Thanks Virgo,_  Lucy thought sarcastically. She sighed, trying to figure out what she would wear when she caught sight of Freed's closet. Smiling and curious to see what other kinds of clothing he had, Lucy walked over and opened the door. There wasn't a single t-shirt in the entire closet. He had dress shirts in nearly every color, each of them looking wonderfully soft. When Lucy looked at the second row of hanging clothes, she saw dress pants in varying dark shades and a few pairs of jeans.  _Huh, I've never seen Freed wear jeans before. I wonder how he looks in them._  She walked into the closet, running her fingers along each of the shirts and finally pulled a dark green long sleeve dress shirt off of the hanger, then moved the hanger to the other side of the closet to sit with the other empty ones.

She showered quickly, not sure if or when Freed would come looking for her. She didn't want to be caught in the shower by him, and she blushed just thinking about it. Once she was done, having used her own shampoo and body wash that smelled like vanilla and strawberries, she dried herself quickly and brushed her teeth. There was a strange sense of anxiety as she put on her undergarments, and a part deep down inside of her decided to admire how good she looked in the color green. Lucy dried her hair and brushed out all the tangles before putting Freed's shirt on. She slowly buttoned it up and blanched when she couldn't get the top three buttons to meet because of the size of her chest. She looked in the mirror to check just how much of her cleavage was showing and sighed in relief; she had shown more cleavage with a fair amount of her own outfits, so it wasn't actually as bad as she thought. She carefully flattened the collar and then smoothed out any imaginary wrinkles before giving herself an approving nod.

Freed grinned at the discovery he had made. It was absolutely fascinating, and he was sure that Lucy would think so as well. He quickly pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down notes from each of the books scattered around him. Once he ran out of room on the page, he started rotating it to fit his notes in wherever he could since he hated flipping pages back and forth while he was trying to make something. Just before he finished writing everything down, he stole a glance at the time. It was almost midnight, and he had come inside to give Lucy and Aquarius some privacy a little before eleven. Freed wondered if they were still outside talking, but he pushed that to the back of his mind as he wrote the last few notes on the page. He placed the pen back where it belonged and quickly stood up in search of Lucy. As soon as he turned to walk out the door, he stopped dead in his tracks and dropped the paper on the floor.

"Hey, you're finished?" Lucy said softly, twiddling her fingers together and leaning against the doorframe.

Freed nodded absently while he stared at her wide-eyed. His eyes travelled from her face down to her feet and back, slower on the return as he absorbed what he was seeing. Her feet were bare, along with her long, slender legs. She was wearing a dark green dress shirt, one of his, that barely buttoned once it reached her voluptuous chest. It hugged every single one of her curves and came just low enough to be considered decent if she didn't bend over for anything. The sleeves of the shirt were too long for her, covering her hands until just the tips of her fingers were visible. He gulped audibly when he took in how much of her chest was visible, and followed the creamy white skin that was exposed up to her slender neck. Finally his eyes rested on her face. Lucy had a light shade of pink across her cheeks, but her smile lit up the room. She was absolutely breathtaking.

"Sorry," Lucy whispered. "I didn't have anything to wear to bed, so I borrowed one of your shirts. Is that alright?"

Freed nodded again, doing everything in his power to stop himself from walking across the room and showing her just how he felt about the way she looked in his shirt.

"Freed?" Lucy asked softly, her eyebrows drawing together. "Is everything alright?" She slowly walked into the room, and giggled when he nodded again. Once she was standing in front of him, she looked up into his eyes and smirked. Lucy's fingers trailed up his chest, tracing the muscles hidden beneath his shirt until she placed a finger on his chin and closed his mouth.

Freed shook his head clear of the lust-filled thoughts that had taken hold of him when Lucy closed his mouth. He hadn't realized that it had dropped open when he saw her, but it was entirely believable that it had happened.

Lucy looked down at the paper Freed had been holding, and bent to pick it up. She blushed again when she heard Freed's breath catch in is throat, then stood up to face him. "What were you working on?" she asked, closing her left eye to read what was written on the page. She smiled when she saw how neat his handwriting was, the letters small and clear instead of normal chicken scratch, and each of them flowing beautifully into the next. She saw that it was a page of notes on something, with small additions turned in various ways all over the page. She rotated the paper, trying to follow some semblance of a train of thought when she heard Freed clear his throat.

"I've found something rather interesting," he said as he watched her focus on the paper in her hands. She looked confused, but he was intrigued that she kept reading over the notes he had written to try and understand it. "It concerns your eye."

Lucy's gaze shot up to meet his, her eyebrows nearly flying off of her forehead with how quickly they rose. "What did you find out?" she asked, looking back down at the paper in her hands. She was getting frustrated that she had to keep her left eye closed to read it. Every time she would start to see a pattern from one note to the next, her vision would blur slightly—most likely from overuse during the day.

"Well," Freed started slowly. He placed a hand on her back and led her over to his desk. "I've been researching why you wouldn't be able to read with that eye even though you can see normally otherwise." He pointed to each of the books and said, "Between anatomy, biology, this book on runes, and this one on the other portion of my magic, I think I've come to a conclusion."

Lucy grinned at him. "Well, tell me! Tell me!" she said happily. Any information was good information when you didn't know a thing about what was going on.

"It seems that whatever phenomenon happened when Wendy tried to heal you actually infused your eye with the magic in my sword," he said with a small frown. "We already knew that much, based on the new coloring and your ability to channel my magic through your eye."

Lucy nodded, letting him know that she was following his train of thought. She could tell that he was trying to make sure he didn't leave anything out so she wouldn't get confused.  _He looks so adorable when he's concentrating,_  she thought.  _Just like earlier when he was reading._

"So far, I haven't come across any other reports of something like this happening. However, that could be due to Wendy's magic being a Lost magic. If your eye changing is directly related to her Dragon Slayer magic, then we would need to do more research to see if it's a common occurrence." Freed paused, trying to decide how to word the next part of his discovery. "From what I can tell, the reason you have a hard time focusing on letters with that eye is because of your pupil. While most species that have slitted pupils like yours have an increased ability to notice small details, the inner workings of their eyes are designed for that particular function. Because your eye is still human in composition, it isn't capable of sharpening the amount of detail you can see."

"So, instead of sharpening it, my eye is registering that there's something wrong with it? That's why everything gets blurry when I try to focus on it?" Lucy asked.

"Precisely," he said with a soft smile. He gently took the paper from her hands and laid it out on the desk. "While I was doing that research, I found a way to 'repair' the eye in a sense. It will make your body recognize it as if your eye was meant to be the way it is."

"So, there's something out there that can make my brain think that my eye is supposed to be like a cat's eye? Then I'll be able to read normally!" Lucy looked at Freed hopefully. And when he nodded she squealed and threw her arms around his neck. She peppered his face and neck with small excited kisses and said, "Oh, Freed! You're amazing!" When she pulled away, she saw the small blush on his cheeks and smiled again. "So, what do we have to do?"

Freed cleared his throat and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him and looking down at the paper. He pointed to different sections of his notes while he explained what they needed to do. "There are several different ways to go about it, but the most plausible way of making it work is this," he pointed to a small drawing he had done in the top right corner. "It is essentially an eye patch that would sit over your eye without hindering your ability to see. To everyone else, it would appear to be black, but from your perspective everything would be normal so you wouldn't lose any depth perception. The patch itself creates a small magical pulse that travels into you and causes your brain to view your eye as it is now and not how it should be. Your ability to notice details, both close and far away, will be increased greatly. The other benefit is that it works on both eyes, not just the one it covers. It won't change the appearance of your other eye, but it will enhance your vision so that they aren't uneven."

 _An eye patch?_  Lucy nodded and thought over what Freed had said. She could have enhanced vision in both of her eyes with it. Plus, having her eye covered will cause less of a stir when she meets new people—seeing an eye patch versus seeing a glowing purple eye—or when she's out in public in general.  _Mages live dangerous lives, so I guess it's not a stretch for one to lose an eye,_  she thought. She knew that if people saw her with an eye patch, they would assume that she had lost her eye instead of just magically covering it. "Will I have to wear it all the time?"

"No, you can take it off whenever you please. There isn't a strap to hold it in place. Because it will already be imbued with magic, it's simple to add the ability to keep it in place without any support," he said with a soft smile.  _She seems to be considering the idea._

"Good," she said with a nod. "I know there's a certain someone that thinks it's beautiful, so I wouldn't want to disappoint them be always keeping it on." She smiled when she looked at Freed and lightly kissed his chin.

Freed blushed, chuckling a little bit.  _I didn't realize she would make a decision based on my preferences as well._

"Will I still be able to use your magic with it on?"

Freed nodded fervently and smiled. "Yes, the eye patch will allow magic from your eye to pass through it, because you'll still be able to see. However, just like this morning, you would need to close your eye completely to stop the magic you're using."

Lucy thought for a second, seeing the curious look in Freed's eyes. "Alright. Let's do it. Where can we find one?"

"We don't," Freed said softly. "That's the best part of all of it. It can be made with my runes, which is another reason that the magic from your eye will pass through it."

"Is there a way to change it from opaque to transparent when I need to? That way, I wouldn't have to take it off when I'm with you, I could just switch it so you can see my eye." Lucy looked down at one of the books, then gave up when she decided that she didn't want to close her eye and focus on what she was reading.

Freed thought for a moment, then sat down in his chair and pulled Lucy down onto his lap. He leaned off to one side while also looking through the book on his desk. After scanning through the pages, flipping them quickly when they didn't hold the information he needed, he grabbed his pen and wrote down another note on the paper. Then another.

Lucy's cheeks were on fire when Freed pulled her into his lap. She had been extremely nervous when she had opened the door to the office wearing his shirt, but when she saw his reaction to her it had boosted her confidence. His eyes had raked up and down her body, drinking in every detail. He hadn't spent too much time looking at her chest, which had surprised her, but she did see that he noticed how the shirt was buttoned. After she had asked if it was okay for her to wear his shirt and he just nodded, she realized that  _she_ was the one causing him to react that way. She had managed to leave Freed Justine, the smartest mage in Fairy Tail, completely dumbstruck. His previous shyness concerning how she was dressed was seemingly forgotten when he had something to research, as evidenced by him pulling her into his lap without a second thought on the matter. He seemed lost in thought again while he flipped through his books, but she was hopeful when she noticed him writing notes on the same page. She giggled when he rotated the page to fill in another blank space instead of turning it over.

Freed's eyes closed for a brief moment when Lucy started running her fingers through his hair. He leaned into her touch to let her know that he was enjoying it, and then smiled while he looked back at the book. He finally found the last piece of the puzzle he needed, and wrote a final note on his mostly filled paper. He put the pen down and leaned back in his chair to look at the blonde sitting in his lap. "In answer to your question before," he said with a proud smile, "Yes. Along with enhancing your vision, and being able to use that magic freely, you will be able to change the transparency of it at will."

Lucy beamed at him and quickly kissed his cheek. "See? I told you that you're a sweetheart." She thought for a moment, then cocked her head to the side and asked, "How will I change it?"

"Once it's made, I can explain it. That way you can test it out at the same time," he replied. When he saw Lucy start to yawn, he leaned forward and helped her to her feet. Freed started to shut the books on his desk, not needing anything else from them for the time being. When Lucy reached over to help him, he noticed how long the sleeves of his shirt were on her again and stopped her hand. Placing her hand on his chest, Freed slowly rolled up the sleeves so that they didn't reach past her elbows.

"Thank you," Lucy said quietly, looking up into Freed's eyes. Blushing again, Lucy leaned back over and started closing the rest of the books, making another pile so they weren't stacked too high. Once they were finished, Lucy laced her fingers with Freed's and led him up the stairs and into his bedroom. She gave him a chaste kiss before letting his hand go and sitting down on the bed.

Freed blinked once, twice, then turned to walk towards the bathroom. "I'll be back shortly," he said as he grabbed something to change into from his dresser after a cold shower. As he closed the door to the bathroom, he heard a soft giggle coming from Lucy and shut his eyes. She looked absolutely stunning, and it didn't help that she was now sitting on his bed wearing hardly more than his own shirt to cover herself. Taking a deep breath, and then another, he quickly disrobed and jumped under the freezing spray of the shower. Much to Freed's dismay, the cold water did nothing to soothe his heated skin as he washed himself. His body twitched with excitement as he thought about her standing so innocently in the doorway to his office. He nearly groaned when he remembered how she had felt pressed between him and the couch during that kiss, the way her hands roamed across his back, and the noises she had made. Once he was finished in the shower, Freed kept the water running and leaned his forearms against the wall, pressing his head to his arms while he took another deep breath.

Never in his life had Freed found a woman so alluring, both mentally and physically. He was fully aware of how sought after Lucy was based on her looks alone, but her mind was what drew him to her in the first place. He would have to be blind to not notice her in all that time at the guild, but he had always kept himself at a distance. Still, he had caught himself occasionally glancing her way while she spoke with Levy about books, or managed to break up a fight between her teammates. Lucy had always found a way to draw people in with her smile, then kept them there with how caring she was. He had never known, based on the few things he had seen at the guild, that she had nightmares every night. She was always so energetic, and the difficulties in her life seemed so at odds with the smile everyone saw. His team had left on a mission two weeks after Team Natsu was disbanded, and he saw her in the guild only once in that time. Lucy had seemed exhausted and bone-weary when he caught a glimpse of her, but she had still smiled at everyone and held too many conversations to count. Now that he knew more, he understood what she had gone through.

Lucy told him after lunch how she had taken missions almost back-to-back so that she would be able to breathe a little easier when it came to money once her team was gone. She had explained that every mission her previous team took ended up leaving them with hardly anything for a reward because of how destructive the rest were, and that she had to scrounge up each month to pay her rent. Even though she had struggled, Lucy had persevered through it all. That day before his team's mission, no one had seen how tired she was or the loneliness that had already crept into her eyes. He could see it as clearly as if it had happened the day before, and it had surprised him to realize just how much he noticed about Lucy. Even though Freed had never considered anything more than a friendship with her before she saved his life, something about her risking her own life for his had touched him deeply. He felt as though a light switch had been flipped inside of him when he realized that she really was more than what she appeared.

Freed sighed and knew his body wasn't going to cooperate with him while Lucy was on his mind. He turned off the shower and quickly dried himself off. As he dried his hair, Freed looked at the scars that littered his body. His chest, stomach, arms, and back were covered in them and he could remember each and every strike that had made them.  _At least I always wear a jacket,_  he thought while looking from one scar to the next. It was obvious that he had been tortured based on those scars, and he suddenly worried that he needed to cover himself more while he was around Lucy.

Lucy had tucked her legs under the blankets and sat with a smirk on her face. She heard the shower turn off and sat for another five minutes while she waited for Freed to come back into the room, twirling his hairbrush in her hands. After another few minutes, the door finally opened and she smiled softly at him, holding his hairbrush in the air. She frowned internally when she saw how his brow was furrowed in concentration, but he still sat down on the bed with his feet firmly planted on the floor. "Everything okay?" she asked softly, moved from where she was sitting to kneel behind him. She grabbed the ends of Freed's hair and started to brush it, waiting for him to answer.

Freed didn't know what to tell Lucy. He was used to being alone at home, and was suddenly very aware of the fact that he was shirtless next to her. He knew that the previous night, he had been shirtless, but had been wrapped in bandages. That morning, after Wendy healed him, Lucy hadn't seemed to notice that she was so close to the scars that covered him. If she had noticed, then she either ignored them or they didn't bother her. He sighed contentedly as she slowly moved the brush from his scalp to the ends, expertly ridding his hair of every tangle without pulling it. He stiffened when she moved his hair to the side, knowing that she saw the scars on his back as well.

Lucy was frowning at how Freed was acting. There was something that was clearly bothering him, and she wanted to help. The only problem was that she couldn't do anything if he wouldn't tell her what it was. She kept brushing until there wasn't a single tangle in his hair, then pulled his hair to one side while she put the brush down. He tensed and she looked at him again. "Freed," she whispered. Lucy started to run her fingers through his hair, letting it cascade over his back. Once his entire back was covered, he visibly relaxed. He still hadn't answered her, but Lucy had an idea of what might be bothering him. She moved his hair to the side again, revealing all of the scars that had been left there, and her suspicions were confirmed when he tensed again. Lucy sighed and quickly pushed his hair over his shoulder so it fell across his chest.

 _What is she doing?,_  he thought, worry instantly consuming him.

Lucy moved closer to Freed and raised her hands to his shoulders. Slowly, and extremely carefully, she moved her hands lower on his back, brushing her fingers over each and every scar. Freed froze when her hands started moving, but she refused to stop. Once Lucy had touched ever scar on his back she leaned in and pressed a soft kiss to both of his shoulder blades, feeling him shiver each time. She pulled his hair back to where it normally sat, and when he relaxed again she said, "Come here, sweetie."

Freed moved slowly, sitting himself back on the bed against the headboard. He couldn't meet Lucy's eyes for fear of what they might hold in them. His eyebrows were still pushed together as he tried to figure out just what she had done that for. Her hands had traveled so lightly up and down his back, and then her soft, plump lips had pressed against two of his largest scars.

Lucy sat back as Freed got comfortable, but she frowned again when he wouldn't look at her. She looked down at his chest and arms briefly and saw that he actually had more scars than she had originally thought. They sat in silence for a minute, with her eyes staring intently at his facial expression before she huffed in annoyance. She didn't let herself overthink it, she just went with her gut instinct. Lucy grabbed Freed's hands and threw one leg over his, straddling his hips in the process. His eyes widened instantly and he looked up at her with confusion written all over his face. Placing his hands on her hips, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "Will you tell me what's wrong now?"

"I-I…" he stuttered. He didn't know what to say. Just like the many other times that day, Lucy had him at a loss for words. He couldn't put into words what was going on, and she seemed to know it.

Lucy smiled sadly, seeing how lost he looked. She leaned forward slowly, grabbing the headboard on either side of his head, and lowered her head until her lips brushed lightly against his. She felt him tense as if he didn't know what he should do, so Lucy took it upon herself to deepen the kiss. She licked across the seam of his lips, and when he made no move to grant her entry, her hands quickly tangled in his hair while she sucked his lower lip into her mouth to nibble lightly on it. His hands gripped her hips tighter, and the feeling of his fingers digging into her caused her to roll her hips against him. When Freed opened his mouth to groan, Lucy's tongue shot inside and instantly started twisting and sliding along his.

Freed knew he had to control himself, but with every movement that Lucy made, every soft sigh or moan that came from her, his control started to slip. His hands moved from her hips, caressing her back and waist, and he couldn't bring himself to care that he was covered in scars in that moment. When they finally pulled away for air, he looked into Lucy's eyes and saw that same emotion he had seen after playing the piano for her flicker across her face. He gasped when she smirked and lowered her head to kiss along his jaw and neck, moving up to his ear and nibbling on it before moving back down. Her hips hesitantly rolled against him again, and he failed at stifling the groan that spilled from him.

Lucy had never felt anything like it before. She knew what she was doing to him as she ground herself against him, but it was affecting her just as much. The friction her movements created had heat pooling low in her belly and an ache building at the apex of her thighs. She had read enough of Erza's romance novels to know what would happen if she continued, so Lucy stopped herself. She pressed one last kiss to his neck before sitting up and cupping his face with her hands. Her body was refusing to believe that the small amount of pleasure she had felt was ending so quickly, but Lucy tamped down any other desires she had and looking into his eyes. She blushed when she saw Freed's green eyes darkened with lust, but she hadn't intended to do more than kiss him. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his forehead, then said, "Freed. Please talk to me."

Freed closed his eyes and laid his head back, trying to get himself back to normal. He took several deep breaths hoping that it would help, but with Lucy still sitting on him, and his hands on her shapely hips, there was no way he could calm down completely.

"Is it about your scars?" Lucy asked softly. When Freed nodded, his jaw clenching and unclenching for a minute, Lucy sighed. "You know there's nothing wrong with them," she whispered.

"Yes, there is," he said, his voice coming out lower and more ragged.

"Then explain it to me, because I don't see anything wrong with them," she replied as her fingers started to trace the scars on his stomach and chest.

Freed slowly opened his eyes, looking up at the ceiling. "How do you not?" he asked quietly. Every time she traced a different scar he fought to suppress the shiver that wanted to course through him. Finally he looked into her eyes, the same eyes that had clearly been look at his face the entire time.

Lucy shrugged. "Everyone has scars, Freed. I'll have one going across my face once I'm healed. It's par for the course of being a mage."

"These are different."

"You're right, they are different. Yours weren't earned from battle or some noble effort. Yours are  _completely_ different than the scars of Gajeel and Natsu. Even this wound on my face," she said earnestly. Even though Freed flinched at her words, she kept going. "If anything, your scars prove how much stronger you are than them."

Freed's brow instantly pushed together, but before he could deny what Lucy said, she kept talking.

" _Your_  scars are from torture. Each and every one," she whispered as she looked at the multitude of crossing marks on his body, "is a testament to your strength. Every mark that's on you is a symbol of your resolve. No matter how many times you were hit or cut or beaten… or whatever else they subjected you to… you never told them what they wanted to hear. That's why there are so many. Because you never gave up." She smiled at him, running her thumbs along his jaw. "Everyone gets scars from fighting for what they believe in, but very few people get the scars that you have and survive. There's nothing to be ashamed of, Freed. If anything, you should be proud."

"… Why?" he asked softly, unable to believe what Lucy was saying.

"Because you saved everyone in Fairy Tail by not telling them what they wanted to know. You suffered so that your friends and family in the guild could be happy." Lucy moved away from his lap and sat down next to him, putting her legs under the blankets again. Once her hips were covered, she slowly lifted the side of the shirt she was wearing to show Freed a long white scar going down her side. "I have at least one scar from every person that's tortured me," she whispered. "The memories haven't faded like the scars have, and both will be with me forever. But, just like you, I never gave up."

"How do you do that?" Freed asked in wonder, pulling his legs under the blankets and looking at Lucy with wide eyes.

Lucy giggled. "Do what?"

"How do you know exactly what to say to make me speechless?"

Lucy blushed and looked deeply into his eyes. She brushed his bangs away from his right eye and said, "It's simple. I know what you're going through because I've been there. So, all I have to do is look in here." Lucy placed her hand over his heart, running her thumb along another scar. "It's got all the answers, sometimes you just have to look for them."


	5. Scars

Freed looked down at Lucy's hand on his chest, then back to her face. He was truly speechless. She had yet again found a way to prove that he was wrong about something, and everything she had said made sense. His scars were from being tortured for not giving Ansa and her men the information they wanted, and that was why he had so many. It's easy to come back from a wound that you received in battle, because you were at least  _doing_  something while it happened. And that was where Freed's problem lay. He hadn't done a single thing, and that was why they had done as much as they did to him. He had felt helpless, scared, and alone, but he refused to betray his family and friends in Fairy Tail and in the end had paid with his flesh. He was still ashamed of the scars, because he couldn't understand how Lucy was able to touch them and look at them the way she did. There was a deep sadness in her eyes, but also understanding.  _She's gone through this before,_  he thought. Lucy, his beautiful and radiant Lucy, had been tortured just like he had, yet she found a way to work through it.

Freed sighed, unable to look in her eyes any longer. "How did you get through it?" he asked softly. He wanted—no, needed to know how she had found the strength to persevere after everything and still come out with a smile on her face.

Lucy reached over, turning Freed's face back to hers so she could look into his eyes. Once their eyes met, she smiled gently and said, "By relying on everyone around me for support. My team came and visited every day, and usually stayed the night with me because they know how much I hate being alone. When I had a nightmare, there was always someone close by for me to hold onto and shed every last tear I had in me. Once I was healed, I went to the guild and let everyone's infectious happiness fill me until I could hardly breathe. I  _forced_  myself to be surrounded by people, even though I was panicking just like you did at the guild. Everyone just wanted me to feel better, and the love that I felt from them helped me move on to a point. In all honesty, what's happened in my past still haunts me. Not so much what happened with Gajeel, because he was a different person back then, but everyone else?" She paused for a moment. She knew it was what he needed to hear, and she refused to let herself stay closed off if it would help him. "I still have nightmares about them sometimes. Not as much as I used to, but every once in a while. Sometimes, I think that the only reason I 'moved on' from what's happened is because that's what everyone expected of me. It would have broken their hearts if I didn't get better, so I forced a smile onto my face when I was around them, and eventually it just stuck."

"So, you're still trying to work through it all?"

Lucy nodded, her face still smiling but it didn't reach her eyes. "Like I said, sweetie. It's going to be hard, but the only way to gain some sense of normalcy in your life is to face what you've gone through. You don't have to rush it, because that could just make it worse. Take your time, but when it seems like it's too hard and you just can't do it anymore, push yourself just a little further. You'd be surprised how much you can actually withstand."

"And that's why you didn't have a problem with my asking you to stay tonight?" Freed whispered.

"There are two reasons for the answer to that question. The first is that you needed me here. I told you that I'll help you in any way I can, and I meant it. If you need someone to comfort you? I'll hug you, run my hands through your hair, whatever you need. Someone to talk to about what's going on? I'm your gal. If you need a shoulder to cry on when it gets too hard to deal with, then that's what I'll be. You can tell me about your insecurities, your fears, and your nightmares, and I'll always be willing to listen," Lucy answered softly. "You'll never need to ask for permission to do any of those things. Just tell me what you need, and I'll make it happen." She kept brushing her fingers through his hair while she let her words sink in.

After a moment, Freed asked hesitantly, "And the second reason?"

Lucy giggled. "The second reason is that I'm your girlfriend. We slept in a bed together before we were dating, so I have no problem sleeping next to you now. The two reasons do overlap in some areas though. Because I'm your girlfriend, that means that I'll be there to hug you, talk to you, and all of that. Just like you can tell me all of the negative things you're dealing with, you have the added benefit of telling me about your hopes and dreams, your interests and aspirations, and everything in between. Besides," she whispered, placing a kiss on his cheek, "You're very comfortable."

Freed blushed and finally his bad mood had disappeared. He wrapped his arm around Lucy and pulled her close, sighing contentedly when she laid her head on his chest. Even though she had kept tracing the scars across his chest and stomach, he had slowly stopped paying attention to it. The knowledge that her fingers were going over scars evaporated, and he was left with only the feeling of her fingers moving across him. Once he wasn't thinking about  _what_  she was tracing, he found it extremely soothing.

After a few minutes of comfortable silence between them, Lucy found the courage she needed to talk to Freed. "Hey, sweetie?"

"Hm?" he mumbled, his head leaning back against the headboard and his eyes closed.

"I wanted to talk to you about my conversation with Aquarius…" Lucy whispered. She looked over at the alarm clock and saw that it was well after one in the morning. She smiled when Freed stifled a yawn, clearly willing to stay awake so she could talk to him.

"What was it about?" he whispered, sliding down to lay his head on the pillow.

Lucy giggled and slid down with him, keeping her head on his chest. "It's late. I promise I'll talk to you about it tomorrow though. It's about you and me, but there's nothing to worry about. She helped me figure something out, and said I should talk to you about it, that's all."

Freed yawned again, instantly overcome with exhaustion after they day they'd had, but he was willing to talk to Lucy now if she wanted. "Are you sure? We can talk about it now if you'd like," he whispered.

Lucy smiled and kissed his chin. "I'm sure, sweetie. You look like you're about to pass out."

Freed nodded, peeking one eye open to find the switch for the lamp on his nightstand and turning it off. Once the room was bathed in darkness, Freed rolled onto his side and wrapped his other arm around her. He felt Lucy's head lift up and smiled when she kissed him, then laid her head back down and nestled against him. "If you're sure…"

"I am," Lucy said with a yawn. She wrapped her arm around him and cuddled closer, crossing one of her legs over his.

"Goodnight, Lucy." Freed nestled his nose in Lucy's hair, kissing her gently then letting the sweet smell of strawberries and vanilla fill him as he fell asleep.

"Mm. Goodnight, Freed," Lucy whispered, humming in approval at how warm and comforting his embrace was. It was still strange to her that she was able to accept any form of comfort from him, but she was going to listen to Aquarius' advice and stop trying to keep herself from being happy.  _Time to get out of my own way,_  she thought as sleep finally took hold of her.

* * *

Lucy woke up slowly to find an empty bed, and early morning sunlight filtering in through the windows on either side of the bed. She lifted her head from the pillows and glared at Freed's side of the bed.  _Where did he go?_ As she looked around the room, a folded piece of paper caught her attention on his nightstand. She glanced at the alarm clock and saw that it was nearly eight in the morning. Smiling, Lucy reached over and closed her left eye to read it.

_Lucy, I'm down in the office getting started on your eye patch._

Shaking her head with a smile plastered across her face, Lucy jumped out of the bed and ran into the bathroom to start on her short morning routine. Toilet, then brush her teeth and hair, and she was done. She looked at her reflection, and decided that she was going to wear Freed's shirt for a little longer. It was so comfortable, and when she moved just right she could catch the barest remnants of his scent on it. Pressing her nose to the sleeve, she smelled it and smiled.  _Books and darkness, so strange…_  She quickly made her way down the stairs, padding softly down the hall to push open the door to the office.

Freed was sitting at his desk, the top of it completely cleared except for the small circle of black fabric he held in his hand, the paper that held his notes, and a pen that he was using to write runes into the eye patch. His focus was solely on the task in front of him, and Lucy leaned against the door frame to watch him working. His eyes quickly shot from the page in front of him to the eye patch, then back. Occasionally he would frown when he looked at the paper, then turn it until he found the note he needed and one corner of his mouth would lift up while he returned to the eye patch.

"Good morning, Lucy," Freed said softly, his eyes never leaving his work.

Lucy jumped, not realizing that he had seen her come in. Once she stopped the frantic beating of her heart, she smiled. "Morning. I didn't know if I could come in. I didn't want to interrupt," she said, her fingers nervously twiddling while she stayed in the doorway.

"You can come in any time, regardless of what I'm doing," he said with a small smile. Once he got to a stopping point, he put the pen and eye patch on the desk and leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his eyes for a moment, attempting to get them to return to normal instead of focused on one object in front of him, and when he opened them again, Lucy had walked over to lean against the desk. Freed instantly noticed that she hadn't changed when he caught a glimpse of her legs. His eyes slowly travelled up her body again, taking in every curve and how amazing she looked wearing his shirt. When his eyes landed on her face, he was surprised to see that she was doing the same thing as he had been not moments before.

Lucy couldn't help herself as she walked across the room to lean against the desk. She drank in the sight of Freed while he sat there, still shirtless. She hardly noticed the scars all over him, and instead focused on the lean muscles that made up his enticing torso. His pajama pants were sitting dangerously low on his hips, and her mouth went dry as he leaned back to reveal a very delectable v-cut that led to his well defined abs and chest. Even though he had tucked his hair behind his ear to keep it out of his way, a good portion of it still fell in front of his shoulder and blocked part of her view of him in a light green curtain. She bit her lip lightly while she admired him, and when she finally looked up to his face, she blushed. He had caught her staring at him, checking out every inch of him that she could see. Keeping her eyes locked with his, Lucy pushed herself off of the desk and draped her legs over his to sit sideways in his lap.

Freed hadn't expected to see Lucy looking at him that way, the uninjured portion of her lip pulled between her teeth and her eyes slightly hooded with lust. When she sat down, he placed one hand on her lower thigh and the other around her waist. He closed his eyes as Lucy started running her fingers through his hair.

"Does your head hurt?" she asked softly. "You were rubbing your eyes like you had a headache."

Freed nodded slowly. "Writing runes as small as these tends to take more out of me than I would like to admit. It's mostly due to focusing on something so close to my face, and quickly switching back to my notes."

Lucy smiled softly and moved her hands to lightly massage Freed's temples, across his eyebrows and down the bridge of his nose, then across his cheeks. Once she had made a full circuit around his eyes, she smirked when he groaned in approval. Keeping her thumbs on his cheeks, Lucy brushed her middle and index fingers lightly under and behind his ears, then pressed down and rubbed slow circles to help relieve the rest of his headache.

He was in heaven. The most absolute and glorious feeling in the world overcame him when Lucy had relieved the tension building in his head. Freed hated writing small runes because of how much he had to focus on them to make sure they were right, which almost always gave him a headache that lasted most of the day. This time was completely different, though. Lucy's hands were working so skilfully at getting rid of the headache that had been creeping up on him, and when her fingers moved to massage behind his ears, he couldn't help but sigh as the last of his pain left. Freed started to rub slow circles on her thigh with his thumb, his head slowly dropping until he was laying against her shoulder.

Lucy giggled at how relaxed Freed had become. "Better?" she whispered, moving her hands again to massage Freed's neck.

"Mm-hmm," he mumbled. "Where did you learn to do that?"

"My mom used to get headaches as she got more and more sick, so I had her show me where to rub to help get rid of them. She always said that behind the ears was best when the headache started by your eyes, but I don't know why," Lucy said softly, reminiscing over the small happy memory with her mother while moving her hands down to his shoulders' still massaging any tense muscles she found.

Freed smiled at the small actions she took. It was something as simple as easing the tension in him with a light massage, but warmth spread through his chest when he thought of how quickly she had started to do it when she realized what was wrong. She did it because she wanted to, and that just made him ecstatic. Lucy's usually dainty hands had a strength in them that he never knew she possessed when she worked through the muscles in his shoulders, and he nestled closer to her neck and let out a soft sigh.

Once Lucy finished with Freed's shoulders, she smiled and wrapped her arms around him. They stayed like that for a few minutes, just enjoying each other's company until she remembered that he had woken up before her to work on her eye patch. "How long have you been up?" Lucy asked softly, looking over at the desk to see if she could tell how much he had already finished.

Freed slowly picked up his head and looked at the clock, then said, "Almost an hour. I'm nowhere near finished, but it's coming along nicely."

Lucy nodded and turned to press a soft kiss to his lips. Their lips moved against each other's slowly, taking their time to savor the peaceful moment of the morning. When Lucy pulled away, still blushing, she asked, "Have you had breakfast yet?"

Freed smirked, slightly embarrassed, and shook his head. "I wanted to get started right away, so I didn't think about it."

Lucy cocked an eyebrow at him. "How do you forget to eat breakfast?" When Freed shrugged, she ended up giggling. "Alright, I'll go make us something. Are you eating in here or in the dining room?"

Freed's eyes widened marginally at her question, the smile still on his face.  _How did she know?_  "I usually eat in here if I'm working on something," he said, cocking his head to the side while he tried to figure out what had made her ask.

Lucy grinned and nodded. "I thought you'd say that." When he still looked confused, she laughed. "My dad used to do the same thing when he had a really big project he was working on. I think it's a guy thing—you don't want to leave your work alone. And before you can object, I'll pull up a chair and eat in here with you."

Freed kissed her again with a smirk. "You seem to know me very well, Lucy."

Lucy smiled as she stood up. "I'm just perceptive. And I'll be  _even more_  perceptive once you're finished. So, I'll leave you to your work and be back in no time." After one last kiss, she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her. Before she could make her way towards the kitchen, there was a sharp knock at the door. "I've got it, Freed," she said as she walked towards the front door. Looking through the peephole, she rolled her eyes when she saw the rest of Freed's—and hers now that she thought about it—team standing outside. Lucy unlocked the door and opened it with a sweet smile. "Good morning, guys."

"Wow! Go Freed!" Bickslow shouted as he looked at Lucy wearing nothing but a dress shirt. He flinched when Evergreen smacked him with her fan, then laughed at her expression when she saw Lucy.

"Oh! Um… Uh…" Evergreen stuttered.

Lucy blushed, realizing what they were thinking as she looked down at Freed's shirt. She smiled sheepishly and said, "I didn't have anything to wear to bed so I took one of his shirts."

Laxus rolled his eyes at his other two teammates, then took off his soundpods. Sure, Freed's scent was all over Lucy, but he could tell they hadn't had sex. He wasn't going to say anything, since it wasn't any of his business, but his team was getting on his nerves. "Can we come in, Blondie? Or are you planning on standing there all day?" he asked gruffly.

"Oh! Sorry, come on in!" Lucy said, stepping to the side to let everyone into the foyer. "I was just about to make breakfast. Are you guys hungry?" She laughed when everyone nodded quickly, their hunger evident in their grins. Rolling her eyes, Lucy motioned for them to follow her. Once they got back to the office, she silently told everyone to stop and slowly opened the door.

Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow stood in shock when Lucy opened that door. It was the one room that none of them had ever been allowed in, and she just opened it all the way and walked in while they stared. Not only had she answered the door only wearing Freed's shirt—which was usually a sign of getting lucky, and that was something that hadn't happened—she had walked right into Freed's office like it was no big deal. Not to mention that Freed was sitting at his desk without a shirt on, and she walked right over to him while he was working on something. If any of them, except maybe Laxus, had interrupted him while he was working they would have been in serious pain.

Freed was working on the eye patch again, so Lucy walked around and leaned on the desk again. Once he looked back at his notes and rotated the page she said, "Sweetie, your team is here."

Freed looked up at her, then over to the doorway. She was right, all three of his teammates were standing in the doorway to his office, except she didn't seem to notice that they were staring at her as if she was crazy. He gave them a quick nod, then looked back at Lucy with a smile. "I'll be out in just a minute. I don't want to stop in the middle of this part."

She smiled down at him and rolled her eyes, then leaned down to capture his lips. "See you in a bit, then." She turned and walked back out of the office, closing the door softly behind her, then continued on to the kitchen. She didn't bother telling his team what to do, since they had been at Freed's house more often than she had.

"How in the hell did you do that?" Bickslow asked, his jaw dropped open comically as he stared at her.

"Do what?" Lucy asked. They had followed her into the kitchen, each of them taking a seat on the other side of the breakfast bar. She started pulling out ingredients for breakfast along with a few pans and anything else she might need. Finally, she put on the apron that Virgo had left in there, thankful that she had it so she wouldn't get Freed's shirt dirty.

"Wait, Freed has food?" Laxus asked, staring at the refrigerator.

Lucy giggled and nodded. "I had Virgo go grocery shopping yesterday so I could make dinner, and now breakfast." She looked expectantly at Bickslow, waiting for him to elaborate on his question while she filled the teapot with water, then turned quickly to put it on the stove to boil.

"Oh, how did you get him to let you in his office? He won't even let Laxus in there!" he said with his tongue hanging from his mouth.

"And then you even interrupted him while he was working," Evergreen said softly. Lucy was becoming more intriguing to the whole team as they interacted with her.

Lucy blushed as she started cracking the eggs two at a time. "I don't know. He gave me a tour of the house, and that was the last room he showed me. Then we played the piano for a while and had lunch." She shrugged and smiled at them again. She looked at Evergreen and said, "I just waited until he was looking down at his notes to say something. I didn't want to break his concentration while he was writing any runes. Why?"

Laxus chuckled, clearly unable to keep his soundpods on while his team was learning more about their newest addition. "Because he's never let any of us in there. And even when he's looking at his notes, he gets pissed when someone interrupts him. Last time Bickslow did it, he had three or four of Freed's pain runes written on him for over an hour."

Lucy blushed again and said, "O-Oh…" She didn't know why Freed didn't have an issue with her being in his office or stopping his work. She had just assumed that it was normal.

"Wait, you play the piano?" Evergreen asked excitedly.

Lucy nodded and started quickly whisking the eggs with one hand while setting the sausages in a pan with the other. "I haven't played since my mom died. I asked him to play a song for me, and then I played one for him." She shrugged again, but smiled fondly when she remembered the song they played together. Lucy turned on the oven, then pulled out another bowl and started putting all of the ingredients together to make biscuits. She was happy for once that she didn't need to read the measurements on the measuring cups since she knew their sizes by heart. "Laxus, did you eat already?" she asked, not looking away from what she was doing.

"Uh… why?" Laxus replied with a cocked eyebrow.

Lucy looked pointedly at him as if he was an idiot. "Yes or no?"

"No… But I still don't understand why you're asking, Blondie."

Lucy rolled her eyes at him with a smile, then turned to get more ingredients from the pantry. When she came back, she rolled out the dough for the biscuits and looked at him while she cut out the circles. "I'm asking because if you haven't already eaten, then I should make more food. Otherwise you're just gonna be mad at everything until you get to eat again. I've helped Mira get your order ready when you eat at the guild, so I know that you're just like Natsu and Gajeel when it comes to having a bottomless pit of a stomach." She transferred the dough onto a tray just as the oven sounded saying it was preheated, then turned and put the biscuits in. Glancing at the clock, Lucy smirked internally; everything would be done at the exact same time, just the way she liked it. She rinsed the bowl out and then used it to start mixing together some pancake batter.

"Shouldn't you have a book or something?" Bickslow asked. He couldn't help it—none of them could—Lucy was moving around Freed's hardly used kitchen like a pro. She moved fluidly from one dish to the next, never breaking stride even when they asked her questions. He knew that Evergreen couldn't cook a thing without having a cookbook, and Bickslow himself hardly made more than sandwiches or stew. Lucy on the other hand was measuring everything out as if she had done it a thousand times, quickly scraping a knife across the top of the measuring cup to even out the flour, then freely pouring salt and baking soda then milk and vanilla into the bowl.

"No, I know all these recipes by heart," she said with a sweet smile. Looking at the time again, she whirled around to turn on the burner for the sausage, then turned back to the pancakes. After a moment, she muttered, "Besides, I can't read right now anyway…"

"Why not?" Evergreen asked, tilting her head to the side.

Lucy sighed, pulling out another baking sheet. She turned to the refrigerator and grabbed the bacon, then started laying it in a lattice pattern on the sheet. "My eye. It's this long convoluted thing, but basically my brain is stupid. When I read, I have to have my left eye closed, otherwise it's all blurry. Freed's working on fixing it."

"What the hell are you doing to the bacon?" Laxus asked, his eyebrows drawn together.

Lucy laughed as she poured maple syrup on them, then sprinkled a small amount of brown sugar across each of them. "I'm getting ready to put it in the oven, Laxus," she said as if she was talking to a small child. "Trust me, it's delicious."

"Tch, whatever Blondie," Laxus muttered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Lucy looked at the clock again, then put the bacon in the oven. When she stood up, she saw a hint of green and registered that Freed was leaning in the doorway of the kitchen. "It'll be ready in ten minutes." She turned on two more burners and started cooking the eggs and pancakes, turned the sausage over, then spun back around to wash all of the dishes while everything was cooking.

"Why do I get the feeling you've done this before?" Evergreen asked, and saw Freed smirking.

"Team Natsu," Lucy replied.

"Is that why you keep looking at the clock?" Evergreen asked.

Lucy nodded with a smirk. "I've got it all down to a science so everything is done at exactly the same time. That way no one has to eat cold food, even when I'm making enough food for a Dragon Slayer to make it to lunch."

"What about Team Natsu?" Bickslow asked, cocking his head to the side.

"They used to stay over at my apartment all the time. Though, it's nice to make a normal breakfast for once." Lucy glanced at the clock again, and turned around to flip the pancakes, then went back to washing dishes.

"Whaddya mean 'normal breakfast', Cosplayer?"

Lucy held up the knife she was washing and pointed it at him as if it was an extension of her hand, suds slowly dripping down the blade. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me 'Cosplayer'?"

Freed chuckled. "Lucy." When she looked over at him innocently, he said, "Knife."

Lucy looked back down at her hand, then blushed. "Oops. Sorry, Bickslow." She rinsed the knife and put it down, then answered his question while she flipped the pancakes onto a plate and poured the next batch. "Happy eats fish, Gray eats cold food, Erza eats sweets, and Natsu prefers food that's either on fire or burnt to a crisp." Lucy looked back up the clock, then grabbed an oven mitt and barely opened the oven, fanning the smoke that was billowing from it through the small crack to blow up into the vent.

"Now what are you doing?" Evergreen asked, leaning forward.

Lucy fully opened the oven, pulling out the bacon and the biscuits. She transferred the biscuits to one plate and the bacon to another, then flipped the pancakes and pulled the eggs and sausage from the stove. "Two minutes," she said as she turned back to face the three sitting at the bar. She looked up at the speechless team and burst out into a fit of giggles. While she tried to stifle her laughter—and failed—Lucy took a small rag and wiped down all the counters. When she had finally calmed down, she said, "Ever, when you bake bacon it gets smoky, especially when you add syrup and brown sugar to caramelize on top of it. So, you open the oven a little bit and fan away the smoke, then the smoke alarm doesn't go off."

Freed chuckled, then walked into the kitchen to grab plates and utensils, and set the table. He had watched Lucy cooking dinner from the same spot his team was sitting at and had been just as amazed that she could move around the kitchen so efficiently.

Lucy rinsed the last dish just as the teapot started whistling, so she pulled it off and onto a tray, then flipped the last of the pancakes off the stove and onto the plate. She put all the plates on the bar and motioned for the three mages sitting slack-jawed to take everything to the table, then turned around to grab cups and teabags. She pulled off her apron and made sure there was no flour on Freed's shirt, then took the tray into the dining room.

After everyone started eating Bickslow looked between Lucy and Freed, then smirked. "Nice shirt, Cosplayer. Did y—"

"Bickslow, if you ask me whether or not I had a long night, I'll stab you with my fork," Lucy said softly, stabbing a sausage on her plate at the same time.

Everyone stared at her for a second, then burst out into laughter, even Bickslow. "I guess your perverted jokes are getting pretty predictable, Bickslow," Evergreen said while still swatting him playfully with her fan.

Lucy smiled, then said, "To be honest, I could have worn something different. Virgo packed a bag for me when I told her I was staying the night here."

"So, why didn't you?" Evergreen asked just before taking a bite of pancakes and moaning at how delicious they were.

Lucy leaned towards Evergreen and said, "Because that devious little spirit decided to mess with me by putting see-through lingerie in there instead of sweat pants and a t-shirt."

Evergreen and Lucy both ended up giggling, thinking about how Freed would have reacted if Lucy had worn what Virgo packed, then heard how still everything had become. They turned to see three wide-eyed men staring back at them, their mouths hanging open in shock. Laxus had a piece of bacon halfway to his mouth, Bickslow had just picked up some eggs, and Freed almost had his cup of tea to his lips.

Freed was the first to break from his stupor, and took a slow sip of his tea while he tried to get the images of Lucy in lingerie out of his mind. He fully understood why she wouldn't have worn it, especially when she was going to be sleeping next to him, and was now happy that she hadn't. He wouldn't have been able to keep his hands off of her if she'd worn less than his shirt. He already had a hard enough time keeping himself in check when it came to Lucy, her soft skin and dangerously sensuous curves making his hands constantly itch to trail across them.

Luckily, Laxus was the next to go back to normal, and took a bit of his bacon. "Holy shit, Blondie! This bacon is awesome!" Laxus shouted, eyes wide and staring in wonder at the piece of bacon still in his hand.

"Told you," Lucy said with a smirk.

"I think I know who's going to be cooking on missions," Evergreen said with a smile. "This is delicious, Lucy."

"Yeah, at least we know we won't get food poisoning," Bickslow muttered.

"I don't know, Bickslow…  _You_  might," Lucy retorted with a devious grin. When he blanched, she ended up laughing, then consoling him by saying she wouldn't poison him… intentionally.

"So, Freed," Laxus said while he wiped his mouth, "What are you working on for Blondie's eye?"

"Oh, she told you about that?" Freed asked, looking at Lucy.

Lucy nodded and said, "Yeah, they asked why I wasn't using a cookbook. When I mentioned that I can't really read right now, I had to kind of explain what was going on. I figured it would make more sense if you did it, so I kept it basic."

Freed nodded, then went on to explain to the group what he had learned the night before and how he was planning on fixing the problem with an eye patch.

Once Freed had finished, Lucy looked at Bickslow and said, "Yes, I'm going to be a pirate for Halloween."

"Damnit, Cosplayer…" Bickslow muttered, earning another round of laughs from the others at the table. He couldn't really be upset with her, because she was right. He was going to make a joke about her being a pirate. What struck him though, and put a genuine smile on his face was how easily she was interacting with everyone. He'd always thought Lucy was a pretty cool chick. Any time she passed him or his team in the guild or in public, she would smile and say hi, even strike up a conversation if neither of them was in a hurry. That first night at her house, Bickslow had never imagined that the happy-go-lucky girl everyone in the guild loved could have been so upset and hurt, so alone even though everybody cared about her. The Raijinshuu knew exactly what it was like to feel alone, each of them having been neglected or abandoned in some sense before they found each other, but he never thought  _she_  would feel that way.

Evergreen smiled as she looked around the table. Everyone was happily talking, poking fun at each other, and just having a great time. Freed seemed to be much more relaxed than he used to be, and she knew it had something to do with Lucy. Instead of sitting mostly silent while the team talked, Freed actually joined in on the conversation, and even smiled—though it was still very subdued and more like a smirk, you could see his happiness in his eyes. And Lucy! She had seemed so cold and distant that night she saved Freed. Evergreen remembered the conversation her team had while Lucy and Freed were in the bedroom, and she couldn't believe that no one had ever noticed what Lucy was going through.  _I think she'll be a perfect fit for the team,_  Evergreen thought happily.  _I'll finally have another girl to talk to!_

"So, how long until the eye patch is done?" Laxus said, still chuckling from how Lucy and Bickslow argued with each other like siblings.

"I'd say another hour should do it," Freed said. He felt completely revitalized after eating and spending time with his team—not to mention the massage Lucy had given him when she came into the office—and knew it wouldn't take too long to get it done. "Then I'll have to make sure everything works properly when Lucy tries it on."

Laxus nodded, then said, "Ever, Bix. You guys clean up."

"Oh, I can take care of it. It's not a big deal," Lucy said with a smile, standing up to start collecting the plates.

Laxus glared at her and shook his head. "You've done enough, just sit and relax."

 _Laxus is being_ _ **nice**_ _?_  Lucy sat back down slowly and stared at him with one eyebrow raised.

Once the table was cleared, and they could hear Evergreen and Bickslow arguing in the kitchen, Laxus sighed and shook his head. "Gramps called me this morning. Said he got a letter that he wants you to look over, Freed. He's pretty sure it has something to do with what's going on."

Freed nodded. "If it's urgent we can g—"

"No. He didn't think it was urgent, but he's hoping you might be able to find something hidden in it. He said he would have Levy do it so that you could relax and not have to go to the guild, but she's out on a mission."

Lucy placed her hand in Freed's and looked at Laxus. "So, how about we go down to the guild after the eye patch is done?" She looked back over at Freed and said, "Otherwise  _you'll_  be all grumpy that you didn't get to finish what you started."

Laxus let out a bark of laughter. "Wow, Blondie's got you pinned!"

Freed rolled his eyes at his friend, then nodded. He stood and led Lucy to the stairs and said, "We should probably get dressed before Bickslow finds a way to get you to drop something."

"What?" Lucy asked.

Laxus laughed again. "Blondie, you've almost flashed your underwear too many times to count."

Lucy squealed and ran up the stairs as fast as she could, while Freed followed behind her shaking his head at Laxus' words. He glanced up briefly and his breath caught in his throat when he saw the dark green shirt sway, revealing a lighter green pair of lace panties that did nothing to cover her backside. Freed made sure his steps didn't falter as he continued going up the stairs and followed Lucy into his bedroom. After closing the door, he turned around and had to stifle a groan.  _She has no idea what she's doing, does she?_

Lucy hummed happily once she was in the safety of Freed's room. She saw the tangled mess of sheets and decided to make the bed before she got changed. Her head shot up to look at Freed standing in the doorway when she heard a muffled noise. He didn't seem to notice she was looking at him because his eyes were glued to her hips where she was bent over the bed. Never in her life would she have imagined that Freed would look at her like that. Lucy slowly stood up, curious about why he hadn't moved from the now-closed door. Once she was in front him, she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered, "Freed?"

 _Yep, I'm doomed._  Freed had watched his shirt creep higher and higher while she was bent over the bed, finally revealing the lace he had barely seen earlier. It fit her like a glove, forming to her body in a way that had his body lighting up with desire. Then, she walked slowly across the room, her hips swaying while she moved, and pressed herself against him. As soon as his name passed her lips, he lost it. Freed's hands shot to Lucy's hips, yanking her tightly to his chest, and he dove down to capture her lips. He groaned when her hands tangled in his hair, angling his head so she could deepen the kiss, and he spun them around so she was pinned between him and the door.

Freed's tongue darted into Lucy's mouth, instantly making heat pool lower in her belly. Her hands trailed down his neck to dance across his chest, and she gasped when Freed's hand slid down the outside of her legs, then up the backs of them, his fingers barely grazing the bottom of her exposed butt cheeks. Usually, his hands never left her hips or waist, and the new sensation of his fingers moving across her skin had Lucy arching against him and running her hands over his back. She gasped when his hands pushed under the shirt and continued to rub over her hips, and felt a swell of pride when he groaned again.

Freed pulled away from her lips, catching the dazed and passionate gaze she gave him before kissing down her jaw to her neck. She was panting, letting out small moans when he found a sensitive spot, and it only made him want more. When he couldn't comfortably reach any more of her neck, Freed leaned down and gripped her legs before lifting her up and diving back in to continue teasing her flesh.

Lucy wrapped her legs around Freed's hips, letting his hands move back up to knead the rounded cheeks of her rear. His breath was hot against her neck, his soft groans vibrating against her skin, then he lightly brushed his lips over her racing pulse and took her earlobe into his mouth. When she felt his teeth graze against the plump lobe, Lucy's hips bucked against him and she moaned at the hardness that she had ground against. Her eyes shot open when his breathing changed, and he massaged the rounded cheeks in his hands, teasing her until Lucy's hips rolled again. Freed slowly started moving his mouth down to nibble on a particularly sensitive spot on her neck. He wasn't rough with her, but she could feel just how strong he was. Lucy pushed her hands back into his hair, pulling him roughly away from her neck and slamming his lips over hers in a searing kiss.

Freed dominated the kiss, his tongue roughly pushing into Lucy's waiting mouth and swirling against hers with more intensity than he had before. She moaned when his hips flexed slightly, testing to see whether or not he should stop, so he repeated the movement and was greeted by the same sweet sound. His hands left her backside and slid up to feel the rest of her soft, smooth skin at her hips. His thumbs circling over them before they moved up her flat, smooth stomach and barely grazed the underside of her breasts. They groaned in unison as they ground against each other again, and Freed wanted nothing more than to rip his shirt off of her and feel Lucy's skin moving against his own. He pulled her lower lip into his mouth sucking lightly so he didn't hurt her, but the metallic taste of blood hit his tongue and he quickly pulled away. His hazy mind instantly cleared and he looked down at her lips to see that she was in fact bleeding.

Lucy was panting heavily when Freed pulled away. She licked her lips as she looked at him and her brow furrowed when she tasted blood. She put a finger to her mouth and when she pulled it away and saw a small smear of her blood on her finger, her legs instantly dropped to the ground, all previous thoughts of letting Freed keep going flying right out the window. Freed pulled away from her slightly, his hands moving back to her hips under the shirt, and she looked up at him guiltily. "Sorry," she mumbled, pushing past him and rushing into the bathroom to clean her face.

Freed stood there for a moment, willing his arousal to go away and giving Lucy time to clean herself up. It was his fault she had started bleeding, that the wound on her lips opened up. When the water from the sink turned off, he made his way to the bathroom to check on her, adjusting himself as best as he could while still wearing pajama pants. "Lucy, is everything al—"

When Freed walked into the room, Lucy couldn't help the tears that ran down her cheeks. It was everything that she had feared before that came crashing back in. Everything she couldn't understand about their relationship that she was supposed to talk to him about was suddenly glaringly obvious. She didn't know how he could kiss her before, and his reaction to her lips bleeding from splitting open only made her feel worse. She looked at him for a second, the small wet towel still pressed to her mouth, before turning around, hiding her shame so he didn't have to see it.  _God, he must be so disgusted with me…_

Freed didn't understand why she was crying. He didn't know if she was in pain or upset that it had happened or upset with  _him_  for making it happen, though he firmly believed it was the last one. It was his fault. He shouldn't have lost control like that. She had just looked so tempting leaned over his bed, then her body pressing against him had driven him mad. He had seen what was lying just under his shirt, and he had to feel it beneath his hands.  _Maybe it's because of what we were doing,_  he thought guiltily. He had pinned her to the door and started running his hands all over her, doing the same thing with his mouth. She had seemed to enjoy it, even initiated some of it, but maybe she was regretting that now. Slowly, and carefully, he walked into the bathroom to stand in front of her.

Lucy's eyes were closed, hoping that she would be able to get her emotions in check before she had to face Freed and apologize. She should have stopped it from happening, but her body had betrayed her, and her brain had officially checked out when she needed it to be the voice of reason. Of course, she hadn't wanted to stop because every part of her enjoyed feeling Freed pressed against her, running his hands over her and lightly thrusting his hips to create the most wonderful friction between them. The part of her that said they should have stopped before anything got too heated came rushing back with a glaring 'retrospect and hindsight' speech in her subconscious, making her feel even worse. As if it wasn't bad enough that she couldn't kiss the man like she wanted to because her wound might split open—like it just had—now she felt bad that she was pushing him too quickly. She had no idea whether or not he was experienced in any way, but she definitely wasn't ready to take another physical step in their relationship so quickly.

Freed cupped her cheeks in his hands and tried to brush her tears away, only for her to jerk her face away from him. He saw her whole body shaking from the cries she was holding back, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to his chest, running one hand through her hair while the other lightly massaged her shoulders. Lucy tried to pull away from him, clearly not willing to be comforted, but he held on tighter.

"Let me go, Freed," Lucy whispered, her voice slightly muffled by the towel pressed to her lips. "I know it's disgusting, you don't need to try and make me feel better…"

Freed frowned, trying to figure out what she had meant. "I won't let you go until I know what's wrong. Why are you crying?" he whispered.

Lucy tried and failed to pull away again, then sighed. He wasn't going to let her go until she talked to him, even though she knew he must be grossed out by what had happened. "I'm sorry," she said guiltily, pulling her head back to look into his eyes.

"You didn't do anything wrong," he said with his eyebrows pushed together.

Lucy pulled the towel away from her face, folding it over another way and then gently wiped the small bit of blood from his lips. "I don't know how you can do it. How you can kiss me when I look like… this." Her head dropped in defeat. She had finally admitted one of the things that had been bothering her, and she had no idea what he was going to say.

Freed lifted her chin to look into her eyes, staring intensely into the mismatched orbs of the blonde in his arms. "The same way you can look at me without seeing my scars," he whispered. "When I look at you, I don't see the wound on your face. I see  _you_. If anyone should be apologizing it's me. I have to remind myself to be careful when we kiss so that I don't hurt you, and yet I hurt you anyway. I'm sorry."

"Y-You… don't see it at all?" Lucy whispered, completely ignoring his apology for the time being. She heard him, and it made sense that he would think that, but she was more focused on what he had said before that.

"Not at all. I know it's there, but I'm so captivated by your beauty that it fades into the background. Not just on the outside, but inside as well. Everything that you are comes shining to the surface, and I find it more and more difficult to tear my eyes from you." He brushed away the remnants of her tears and smiled softly.

"And you don't think it's gross?" Lucy whispered meekly.

Freed shook his head. "I was shocked when I tasted your blood, but as I said it's my fault for not being more careful." He lightly brushed his thumb across her swollen lips, then traced just next to the wound running down her face. "Your injury is from fighting to save my life," he whispered, "I could never feel disgusted by it."

Lucy sighed. She knew he was right, she could see the truth of it in his eyes as he spoke to her. He really didn't believe that it was disgusting, and he didn't even see it when he looked at her. Just like she didn't see his scars when she looked at him. She looked past his scars to see him, and he looked past hers in return. She leaned up and very lightly brushed her lips across his. The kiss was soft and sweet, but she wanted more. The only problem was that neither of them were willing to lose control again. When she pulled away, Lucy laid her head on Freed's chest and whispered, "Thank you, Freed."

He kissed her hair and gently squeezed her as they stood there in silence. Eventually, even though he would have been content to hold her like that for hours, Freed pulled away and said, "We should probably get dressed and get back downstairs."

Lucy nodded and they walked back into Freed's bedroom. She pulled out her clothes for the day, a dark red off-the-shoulder belly shirt with long flowing bell sleeves and a black pleated mini-skirt with golden button accents in line with her hips. She watched Freed grab his clothes from the closet, a pair of black slacks and a white dress shirt, then walk into the bathroom giving her a quick smile before the door closed. Lucy sighed and quickly removed Freed's shirt, placing it on the half-made bed. She took the straps off of her bra, transforming it into a strapless, then put on her clothes, followed by her belt, keys, and whip. Once she felt like her body had returned to normal, Lucy decided to finish making the bed. Luckily, she was just finishing when Freed opened the door to the bathroom, so she walked over to him with a wide smile on her face and kissed his cheek before walking past him to fix her hair.

Freed shook his head with a smirk on his face. He was glad that she wasn't upset anymore, and the smile she gave him hadn't felt strained in the slightest.

"All done," Lucy chirped, grinning happily at Freed while he leaned against the door to the hallway. She smoothed her hands over her hair once more, making sure nothing was out of place, and her low pigtails were even.

"You seem much happier now," Freed said as they walked into the hall.

Lucy nodded and said, "That was one of the things Aquarius said I needed to talk to you about." She sighed wistfully. "I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. And it's all thanks to you." She smiled one more time when they reached the bottom of the stairs, pressed a kiss to his cheek and whispered, "I told you that you're a sweetheart."

Laxus smirked at the two when they came down the stairs. He thought they would have been up there much longer with the noises he had heard, until the faint scent of blood was followed by tears. His nose twitched when he smelled fresh blood and that was when he saw that the cut on Lucy's lips had split open.  _That explains the blood, but what was with the tears?_

"Lucy!" Evergreen shouted once she saw the blonde. "You look adorable!"

Lucy threw a hand behind her head and blushed. "Thanks, Ever!" She squawked when Evergreen pulled her by the hand into the kitchen and out the back door, barely hearing three sets of masculine laughter behind them as the door closed.

Freed shook his head and said, "I'm getting back to work. I'll see you guys in an hour."

"Don't know how you can focus with Cosplayer dressed like that!" Bickslow shouted after him. Bickslow and Laxus laughed when Freed muttered, "I can't…" as he made his way down the hall.

* * *

"Okay, Lucy," Evergreen said excitedly as they sat down on the patio chairs on the back porch. "Spill."

"Spill what?" Lucy asked, her eyes wide with shock.  _She doesn't mean…_

"What took you guys so long?" Evergreen crooned. When a dark blush spread across Lucy's cheeks, Evergreen gave her a saucy smirk. "Oh, so you guys were… preoccupied?"

"What?! No! Well, a little… But not like  _that_!" Lucy defended, finally dropping her head in defeat. "We were just kissing."

"You were doing more than that. We all heard something slam into the door," Evergreen pressed as she fanned herself.

Lucy sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you. But promise me you won't go spreading it around." She eyed Evergreen for a moment, then quietly added, "I've never done this before…"

"I promise, Lucy. You don't have to tell me anything if you don't want to," Evergreen replied gently, placing a hand on Lucy's knee.

"Well, when I walked into the room I remembered that I hadn't made the bed, so I decided to do that before I got changed. Freed walked in and gave me this… look… He was staring at my ass…"

Evergreen gasped, only causing Lucy to blush more.

"I didn't know what to do, so I walked over and wrapped my arms around his neck, then said his name to get his attention." Lucy paused, remembering how exhilarating it was when he had pinned her to the door and kissed her. "He grabbed my hips and kissed me, then pinned me to the door. After a little bit, he picked up my legs and wrapped them around his waist…"

"Oh my Mavis," Evergreen whispered. "But you didn't… y'know…"

Lucy shook her head quickly. "No! I mean we were grinding on each other a little bit, and he grabbed my ass for the first time, but aside from that nothing happened." Lucy sighed, her good mood deflating a little as she continued. "He was kissing my neck and when he kissed me again my lips started bleeding. Guess we weren't really thinking about being gentle…"

"Wow, who knew Freed had it in him," Evergreen said with a light giggle.

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"For as long as I've known him, he's never even  _looked_  at a woman. He's very private, but Laxus would have been all over him about it if he smelled a woman on him. I'm pretty sure this is just as new to him as it is to you, Lucy," Evergreen said encouragingly. She could see the doubt in the blonde's mismatched eyes, and something in her wanted to never see Lucy sad again. She had already taken to the young blonde like a sister, and Evergreen completely understood why the whole guild was so in love with her.

"You know, it's weird that I can open up to you guys so easily after everything that's happened with my team and all that," Lucy mused, looking out across the backyard. "I mean, I hardly know any of you, but something just keeps telling me that it'll be alright. I didn't think I'd be able to trust anyone again, and the four of you just waltzed right in and got it right away."

Evergreen smiled warmly at her admission. "Well, maybe it's  _because_  you don't know us as well as everyone else in the guild. I mean, we were hardly around when you were going solo, so we had a reason for not seeing how alone you were. Everyone else just didn't see it, or looked past it. Plus, we're the best!"

Lucy giggled and nodded. "Yeah, you are."

"So, are you excited to be on the team?" Evergreen asked, leaning forward in anticipation.

Lucy winced and said, "I'm glad that you guys want me on the team, but I don't get why. Sure, I helped Freed, and now I'm his girlfriend, but I'm not nearly as powerful as you guys are."

Evergreen rolled her eyes and said a little louder than she had previously been talking, "Laxus, get out here with Bickslow! I know you can hear us!"

After a minute, Lucy heard the back door open and close, then two sets of footsteps coming over to sit next to her and Evergreen.

"I thought you told her why we wanted her on the team, Laxus," Evergreen said sternly once the two men sat down.

"I did," Laxus said with a frown.

"Well, clearly you didn't do a good job because Lucy here seems to think she's not powerful enough to be on our team!" Evergreen huffed.

"Ever, it's fine… Don't worry about i—" Lucy said softly.

"No," Evergreen huffed indignantly. "You need to know that you're more than just an add-on for the time being! You're strong and smart! We wouldn't have wanted you to be with us otherwise, no matter how sweet you are!"

Laxus rolled his eyes at how the brunette was acting. "It's true, Blondie. If you want to be on the team, I mean  _really_  want to be on the team, I don't see any reason to say no. I'm just curious to see how well you work with everyone when we're on a mission."

"Yeah, Cosplayer," Bickslow said with a grin. "You're crazy strong. You kicked  _my_  ass twice!"

Lucy looked pointedly at Bickslow and said, "I'm pretty sure you guys threw that fight for Cana's sake, so that doesn't count. There's no way both you  _and_  Freed would have gone down so quickly."

Bickslow's jaw dropped, then he crossed his arms and muttered, "Wasn't my idea to let you win…"

"But, I was the weakest person on Team Natsu," Lucy mumbled. She hated that it was the truth, but between Erza's S-Class strength, Natsu's Dragon Slayer magic, and Gray's insane Ice Make magic, she was the odd-ball.

"We're  _nothing_  like your old team. They were insane and a bunch of little hooligans," Evergreen said. "We actually think  _before_  jumping into a fight."

Lucy nodded, looking at her feet. Her insecurities still eating her up inside. She had always felt weak, and was worried about letting the Raijinshuu down because she couldn't hold a candle to how strong they all were. Team Natsu may have been called the strongest team of Fairy Tail, but Lucy knew for a fact that the title was based only on its destructive nature and not on the actual strength of the team. Now that they were gone, Lucy would have to say that the Raijinshuu was  _definitely_  the strongest in the guild, based on intelligence and strength.

Laxus rolled his eyes again. "Blondie, listen up. We want you on the team because you single-handedly took out almost twenty people. One of which was a speed mage who's actually pretty damn strong. You dodged most of her attacks and the few she got in on you would have been worse if you weren't as fast as you are. You're quick on your feet, and apparently smart as hell. You figured out the rules for those damn runes and got Freed out in a matter of minutes. According to Virgo you carried him on your back all the way to your house, and based on what Wendy said after she healed your ribs, you shouldn't have been able to accomplish that even if you  _were_  blocking the pain out. You make everyone happy, shit even Freed smiles when you're around. You're also a damn good cook, and it might be nice to have something that's  _edible_  while we're away from a damn town." Laxus looked pointedly at Evergreen and Bickslow for a moment, then turned back to Lucy and continued. "Freed's gonna need someone to help him out with what he went through, and you're clearly the one for the job based on what you did at the guild yesterday. I know you've got some serious trust issues, but I'm telling you right now that if you were as weak as you think you are, we wouldn't have offered to put you on the team in the first place because you could get hurt. We take a lot of S-Class missions, and anyone that joins us has to be able to keep up. You're tough as hell and a versatile mage with your spirits, so I think you fit the bill pretty well."

Lucy stared at him wide-eyed. "Y-You guys really think all that?" It was the most she had ever heard Laxus say at one time, and it had been nothing but good things about her. She looked over at Evergreen and Bickslow and saw that they were both smiling and nodding.  _They all think that about me?_

"Yeah, Blondie. We do. You can't be a solo mage with what's going on, but that was only a catalyst to have you join the team. We would have asked you regardless of that decision," Laxus said softly. He decided that he had been nice for long enough, so his lecherous smirk crossed his face as he said, "Like I said, you being Freed's girlfriend is just a perk. If you keep letting him pin you to doors, he'll definitely be a happier guy."

"What?!" Lucy shouted, waving her hands in front of her. "We weren't… We were just… Well, you see…"

"That's what was going on up there?!" Bickslow shouted, his tongue hanging from his mouth. "Damn Cosplayer!"

Lucy covered her beet red face with her hands and mumbled, "We were just kissing…"

"It was the shirt wasn't it?" Bickslow asked, looking at Evergreen knowingly.

Evergreen nodded and said with a smirk, "Yep. She was bent over making the bed and caught him staring at her ass."

"Ever!" Lucy shouted. She couldn't really blame the girl for telling Bickslow, since it was obvious that Laxus had already heard everything anyway. Bickslow would have found out eventually.  _Guess it's time to get used to having a bigger pervert than Gray on my team…_   _Well, with Laxus, make that two big perverts._

"Oh?" Bickslow asked, his grin turning devious. "What did he see?"

"Green lace, but—OH GOD! Bickslow!" Lucy shook her head, hoping that the cosmos would drop a boulder on her right then.

Bickslow, Laxus, and even Evergreen burst out into a fit of laughter at how embarrassed Lucy was. They all found it rather endearing that she was as innocent as Freed, and the shade of red that she had become in her embarrassment was wholly unnatural. "He never stood a chance," Evergreen said while she wiped away a tear.

"No shit, Cosplayer's got a rockin' body!" Bickslow agreed. "Then again, I don't know how he let you get down the stairs in what you're wearing now. You've got on less than you did this morning."

"Hey! I always wear stuff like this!" Lucy shouted indignantly, finally removing her hands from her face.

Laxus nodded and smirked. He couldn't help it, he had to take her side on this one. "She's got a point. We always see Lucy in this kinda shit. I'm pretty sure Freed lost it because she was in  _his_  shirt and showing off her green… lacy… panties…" He looked pointedly at Lucy, and laughed when her hands shot right back up to cover her face again.

"You've got a point," Bickslow said quietly. "It's hot as hell seeing Cana walking around in my shirt…"

"You and Cana?" Lucy asked, her hands dropping again as she gaped at Bickslow. After a second, her surprised expression vanished and she said, "You know what? I'm not surprised. You're both pervs."

Bickslow laughed, his tongue wagging grin in place and said, "You know it!"

The four mages spent the rest of their time chatting on the porch, fully enjoying how light the atmosphere had become. Laxus' head lifted as he looked at the house, then he sighed and stood up. "Come on, Freed's ready to test out the eye patch." They all quickly went inside and sat down in the living room.

Freed was sitting on the couch, looking over his work one last time and double checking the books he had used to make sure he hadn't missed a single thing. Once Lucy came in, he stood up and offered her his seat. She sat down quickly, then moved to sit on the edge of the couch.

Lucy realized that Freed would be bending over her to make sure everything was where it needed to be, so she moved to the edge of the couch and carefully spread her legs, keeping her skirt tucked so no one could see her panties, so he could stand between them. She giggled when he blushed and didn't move, so Lucy boldly grabbed his belt and pulled him to stand in front of her, then tipped her head back with a grin.

"Cosplayer, you're gonna give Freed a nosebleed if you keep that up," Bickslow said, chuckling at how Freed was acting. The guy had gotten one of the hottest chicks in the guild, who was also probably the most innocent, to be his girlfriend and he was blushing because her face was in front of his junk. Granted, none of them had expected her to do what she had done to get him to stand in front of her, but still.

"Shut up, Bix," Lucy muttered, though her smile never left her face.

Freed cleared his throat and said, "Close your eyes."

Evergreen preemptively smacked Bickslow with her fan while Lucy said, "He's not gonna tell me to open my mouth, you pervert."

Freed chuckled, and then carefully put the eye patch on Lucy. He moved his finger along the seam where it met her skin, and activated the runes that would keep it held in place. "Okay, move around to see if it comes off. Keep your eyes closed for now. It's going to take a little getting used to seeing at first."

Lucy shrugged, then shook her head quickly. It stayed in place, so she squinted, raised her eyebrows, grinned like a crazy person. She tried every facial expression she could think of, trying to loosen the eye patch, but it stayed in place and seemed to move freely along with the muscles in her face. "Good to go," she said with a grin, leaning her head back again.

Freed smiled softly. "Alright. Slowly open your eyes. It might be a little blurry at first since it will be affecting both of your eyes so they work evenly, but just take your time."

Lucy nodded, then slowly opened her eyes. He was right, everything was blurry. She could make out Freed's green hair and where his face should be, but she couldn't see any details. She furrowed her brow, hoping to gain some semblance of focus, and when that didn't work she squinted.

"Just relax," Freed said softly. "It's going to take a minute."

Lucy sighed, then just stared up at Freed. Slowly, his face came into focus and she grinned. When she saw that her vision was actually much sharper than before, Lucy gasped in amazement. Lucy took in every bit of him and found out that his hair was actually a darker green than she had previously thought, but it had tons of light blonde streaks going through it that made it seem lighter. What really caught her attention was his eyes. In the dark green eyes that she loved looking into, she saw the smallest light purple flecks, and found that his irises were actually rimmed with black. "Wow," she whispered breathily as she kept looking at him.

Freed blushed again at the way Lucy looked at him. Her vision had obviously cleared and she was taking her time to study his face. Her eyes stayed locked on his when she grabbed the front of his shirt and lightly pulled him down to kneel in front of her, and he carefully placed his hands on her knees. He felt the eyes of his team boring into them, but couldn't look away from her. Lucy's hands moved from his shirt to cup his face, and he saw the softest smile lifting the corners of her mouth.

"You have the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen," Lucy whispered with a smile.

"So, I guess it worked?" Laxus asked awkwardly. It had been pretty amusing to watch Freed and Lucy, but he really didn't feel like watching them get all googly-eyed at each other.

Lucy's trance broke and she smiled sheepishly at Laxus, then gasped. "Holy crap on a cracker! You're covered in lightning!"

Laxus frowned, then looked down at himself. He didn't see any lightning at all, and knew that his magic wasn't acting up. He usually had lightning on him when he was pissed or fighting, but right now he was completely normal. "No, I'm not." He looked at Freed with a raised eyebrow. "You sure you got it right? I think you may have broken her brain with that thing."

Freed chuckled and shook his head, still not moving from his spot on the floor. "No, she's probably right. The eye patch allows her to see extremely minute details. You most likely do have a small amount of electricity coursing over your skin from your magic."

"It's a lot stronger in your eye," Lucy said as her head tilted to the side.  _That must be where the lacrima is._

Laxus' eyes widened, then he sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. After thinking for a minute, he said, "Well, looks like there's one more reason to have you on the team, Blondie. You can see better than I can."

Lucy grinned. Finally, she could do  _something_  better than a Dragon Slayer, and it had nothing to do with not puking on a train.

Freed turned around and grabbed the rune book, then handed it to Lucy. "Here, try reading this," he said as he opened it to a random page.

Lucy looked excitedly at the page, then frowned. The words were glowing, and shaking slightly. She looked up at Freed and told him what she saw. When he handed her another book and she read it, everything was normal. "This one's fine. There's something wrong with that other book…" She opened the first book, flipping through the pages and seeing the same thing happen with every word she read.

 _Fascinating,_  Freed thought. A book that was specifically about runes and their construction appeared differently than other books to her. He moved the books back to the table and grabbed her hands, then stood both of them up. "We'll leave that for now. I'll see if I can figure that out later," he said, intrigue lacing his voice. "Let's go outside and see how it goes."

Lucy nodded, and as soon as he took a step back, rushed out the back door with a grin on her face and a laugh peeling up her throat.

"She's spunky," Evergreen said with a smile while they slowly followed the blonde. "I like it."

Lucy stood in the grass by the pool and slowly spun in a circle, taking everything in. Every small movement around her caught her attention; the fluttering of a butterfly's wings, a cat jumping into a window across the street, the way the sunlight was speckled across the leaves in the hedges. She saw every bit of it. She squealed in delight and jumped up and down and spinning in wild circles, shouting, "I can see!"

"You'd think she'd been blind her whole life with her yelling like that," Laxus muttered while covering his ears from the piercing scream.

Freed was followed by the rest of his team to stand next to Lucy. He smiled when he saw how happy she was, and the air around them seemed to be filled with her happiness. The sun was shining down and highlighting her golden hair and her light skin, making her seem as if she was radiating light from within herself. "There are two more tests we have to do. We'll see how far your sight goes when we leave for the guild, but we still have to make sure you can use my magic with the eye patch on—and be able to stop it—and you need to learn how to change its transparency."

Lucy stopped jumping and pouted. "I don't want to hurt anyone. The only spell I know is that Pain one… And even then, I don't know how I did it…"

Freed chuckled. He couldn't help it, she was absolutely adorable when she pouted. "You can try to Reflect an attack, how does that sound?"

"So someone's going to attack me?!" Lucy shouted, then sweatdropped when Laxus stepped forward to volunteer. "I'm dead…"

Freed quickly explained that Reflect was normally cast by writing the runes into the air like a shield, and that it would return any attack it came into contact with. "It doesn't normally move with you, because it's stuck in one place in the air."

"Normally?" Lucy asked.

Freed nodded. "It may end up being different because you're not actually writing any runes."

"Okay," Lucy said nervously.

Freed stood next to her, his sword drawn, and said, "If it doesn't work, I'll write the runes so you're not hurt."

Lucy nodded, determination filling her. She could do it, she knew it was possible. She'd found a small amount of courage in Freed's words, and let it fill her. She closed her eyes for a second, imagining a runic wall in front of her.  _Reflect,_  she repeated in her mind.  _Reflect._  When her eyes opened again, she nodded to Laxus, and watched him send a bolt of lightning right at them. "Reflect," Lucy said solemnly, her voice going strangely monotone.

Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow watched in shock and delight as the word passed through her lips and a ripple of magic shot out to create a semi-translucent purple barrier in front of her. Laxus' attack bounced right off and returned to him, so he caught it and absorbed it back into himself.

"Wow," Evergreen whispered.

"No way Cosplayer's weak," Bickslow said proudly.

Freed smiled and sheathed his sword, then brought Lucy's hand to his lips for a soft kiss. "Very good, Lucy. Now, end the spell."

Lucy took a deep breath, then closed her left eye and cut off the magic she was supplying the spell. At first, it hadn't felt like she was using any magic, but once Laxus' lightning hit the barrier, she felt it echo through her and then the drain it had actually caused to cast it and keep it going. It was almost like summoning a spirit, the constant drain on her magic, but it didn't take nearly as much of her magic as summoning did. Once the barrier was gone, Lucy squealed again.

"Oi! Enough with the shrieking, Blondie! You're gonna rupture my eardrums!" Laxus shouted, covering his ears. "Crazy blonde," he muttered under his breath. He was impressed that she had been able to put a barrier up so quickly. He knew Freed could do it, but that guy had insanely fast reflexes. After he thought for a moment, he said, "Freed, does that spell increase the force of the attack when it's reflected?"

"Not unless I write it that way, Laxus. Why?" Freed said.

"Because Blondie's just doubled my attack's power."

 _Very interesting,_  Freed thought. He made a mental note to test out more spells with her later on, then turned to Lucy and said, "Are you ready for the last part?"

Lucy nodded quickly. This was the part she was the most excited for: learning how to change the eye patch so that it was transparent.

"First, tell me how you cast the Reflect spell," Freed said softly. "It may help with the explanation on changing the eye patch's transparency."

Lucy nodded and smiled. "It's just like summoning a spirit, except it doesn't drain my magic as much." She pulled out Plue's key and said, "When I summon a spirit, my magic is forced through my hand and into the key to open a portal, like a door." She summoned Plue and picked him up to cuddle with him. "While Plue is in our world, my magic holds his portal open, so it's a constant slow drain on my magic. When Plue goes back—" Lucy nodded, and smiled when Plue disappeared, "My magic stops holding his gate open and the 'door' to the Spirit World that he came through closes."

Freed nodded, knowing she was going to continue.

"So, when I used that Reflect spell, it was the same thing, but I just didn't realize it right away. All I had to do was focus on the word for the spell, and picture what it was supposed to do. It drained my magic much slower than even summoning Plue, and I only felt it really drain when Laxus' attack hit it and bounced off." Lucy shrugged and said, "Ending the spell is pretty much the same as closing a gate. Well, it's more like the spirit closing the gate than when I have to force close it—since that takes more of my magic to do…"

"Wow," Bickslow whispered. "So, you're saying that your spirits use your magic the entire time they're here?"

Lucy nodded happily. "Yeah. That's why their strength depends on mine. The more I train both physically and magically, the stronger they are." She gave Bickslow a wicked smirk when she added, "That's why Loke said he was stronger than he used to be during Fantasia."

Everyone shared a laugh at her small jab at Bickslow, then Freed said, "This will be much easier to explain, then. Focus on your magic, and send a small pulse of it into your eye. While doing that, just think of whether you want it to be opaque or transparent."

Lucy nodded with a grin. "How will I know if it's opaque or not?"

"You'll see," Freed said with a grin.

She eyed him suspiciously, then rolled her eyes.  _Transparent…_  she thought as she sent a small burst of her magic into her eye. Suddenly, everything brightened in front of her and Lucy quickly shut her eyes. "Remind me to close my eyes next time I do that," she muttered when she slowly opened her eyes again. Everything looked the same, but she felt a small wave roll across the eye patch and settle against the bridge of her nose.

Laxus let out a booming laugh. "Blondie, why are you crossing your eyes?!"

Lucy shook her head quickly and blinked, then glared at the blond man. "I felt something on my nose!" She turned to Freed, her face instantly softening. "Did it work?" she asked hopefully.

Freed nodded, running his thumb over her cheek just under the eye patch. "Yes. I made it so that you will be able to tell whether it's opaque or not. As you can see, there is a small amount of pressure against the bridge of your nose while it's transparent, and when you switch it back the pressure will rest on the opposite side of the eye patch, close to your eyebrow. The pressure will fade after a minute or so, but it will stay in either form until you change it. You can check to see which side the pressure is on by sending a small pulse of magic into your eye without the command."

Lucy's face hardened while she concentrated on sending the small pulse. The pressure against her nose had just faded, and when the pulse traveled to her eye, she felt the pressure against her nose again. Then, Lucy closed her eyes and sent another pulse with the command  _Opaque._  She felt the wave wash over the eye patch from her nose to the side of her face, and then the light pressure just at the end of her eyebrow. She opened her eyes, then turned to grin at Freed. "You're the best," she whispered, trying to hold in her excitement. She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. "Thank you."

Freed blushed again and nodded, a small smile turning up one corner of his mouth. "You're welcome, Lucy."

* * *

"LUCCYYYYYYY!" Happy shouted, flying straight into the blonde's soft bosom and crying dramatically.

Lucy giggled, and kept walking into the guild. "Hi, Happy," she said sweetly. "What's wrong?"

Happy sniffled, looking up from her chest, and said, "Natsu and Lisanna won't let me go with them on their date…"

Lucy giggled. "Did she finally convince him to go on one?" When Happy nodded, she smiled and rubbed his ears. "Would you want Natsu to go with you and Carla on a date, Happy?" she asked softly, her eyebrows raising slightly.

"I wouldn't mind," Happy whispered. "Unless I was going to take her fishing or somewhere nice…"

"Well, maybe Natsu wants to take Lisanna somewhere nice so they can be alone," Lucy said. She smirked at Happy. "You know why they'd wanna do that, right Happy?"

The small blue furball shook his head.

"Because…" Lucy whispered. She paused for effect, then threw her head back and shouted, "They lllllliiiiiiiikkkkkkeeeee each other!" When Lucy looked back down, she grinned at Happy who had put a paw over his mouth to stifle his giggles. Lucy kissed the top of his head and said, "Go tell Mira to get you a fish for Carla. You can put it on my tab, okay?"

"Aye, sir!" Happy shouted as he flew off to the bar with a wide grin.

"I still don't understand how you were able to deal with all of them all the time," Laxus muttered as they made their way up the stairs.

Lucy's hand returned to Freed's and she smiled. "They were the first friends I had ever made aside from my spirits. Even though they had no idea what boundaries were, they're still family."

"Laxus, I'm sure she'll be wondering how she can deal with us soon enough. I'm surprised we haven't scared her off already," Evergreen said with a grin.

"Nah," Lucy said, her smile turning into a grin. "I already love you guys. No way you're gonna scare me off!"

"We love you too, Lucy," Evergreen said softly. She saw everyone's faces soften at Lucy's words, and wasn't surprised in the least by it. Lucy just had a way of giving everyone a piece of her heart, but it touched each of them that she would extend them the same courtesy after what they had done to Fairy Tail so long ago. Lucy had stolen a piece of their hearts as well, and Evergreen knew that Freed had found one hell of a woman.

Laxus knocked quickly on the door to Makarov's office and shouted, "Put away your sticky magazines, Gramps. Freed and Lucy are here." There was a muffled curse, and the shuffling of papers, then Laxus opened the door and led his team inside.

"Good morning, my children," Makarov said with a wide grin, sitting cross-legged on his desk. "How are you both feeling?"

"Much better, Master," Freed said, leading Lucy to the loveseat they had sat in the day before.

"I'll say… All that green lace—" Bickslow muttered with a lecherous grin. He was quickly cut off with a swift Lucy Kick to the jaw and toppled to the ground.

"Watch it, perv!" Lucy shouted as she sat back down. Once Bickslow stood up, she gave him a sweet smile to let him know she wasn't really mad at him.

Laxus rolled his eyes, then smirked.  _Blondie can definitely take care of herself._  Once Makarov had cleaned the blood from his nose (most likely from imagining Lucy in green lacy undergarments), Laxus said, "Gramps, you said you had a letter that you wanted Freed to look at?"

"Ah, yes." Makarov pulled the letter from the top drawer of his desk and read over it again. "I received this letter this morning. The message seems to be a threat. I'm not sure if it's anything too serious in comparison to recent events, but I wanted to make sure there wasn't something else to it. Freed, you may have knowledge that could help in this matter, whether it has to do with your father or magic in general." He jumped off of the desk and walked over to the couple on the loveseat, ready to hand the Rune mage the letter.

"Wait!" Lucy shouted, pushing Freed's hand away from the letter. She looked at the paper with her eyebrows furrowed, and tried to figure out why something about it seemed off. "Freed, there's something wrong with that letter."

"What do you mean, Lucy?" Makarov asked, tilting his head to the side.

"I mean it looks funny. Something's not right…" Lucy glanced at Freed, then up at Makarov and said, "Master, can you open the letter and just show us what it says?"

Makarov nodded slowly, wondering what had come over the young blonde. He carefully opened the letter and faced the words towards them.

"What does it say?" Evergreen asked.

"It says," Freed began softly, "'We know what you have done, and it will not go unpunished. There is a choice to be made, an exchange. A life for a life.'"

"Well, that doesn't sound  _urgent_... But it's a little creepy," Bickslow said while he crossed his arms over his chest.

"I need a piece of paper and a pen," Lucy said quickly. She stood up, dragging Freed with her over to Makarov's desk. "Master, put the paper down please." Once she had what she needed, she whispered, "Freed, I need you to figure out what this says…" She started writing frantically, reading the hidden message written on the letter, and writing the strange characters on the paper. The writing wrapped around the edges of the paper, turning at the corners to run down the next edge, so Lucy copied it exactly as she saw it.

"Lucy, what are you seeing? There's nothing there," Makarov said softly.

While Lucy ignored him, focused on what she saw, Freed looked at the older man and said, "Her eye. The eye patch that she's wearing increases her sense of sight. She's able to see Laxus' magic running across his skin even when he's not doing anything."

"Fascinating. How did you find such a thing?"

"I made it. Using my runes to imbue the fabric with magic, I've been able to help her adjust to the new abilities she's gained from her eye changing," Freed said solemnly.

"There," Lucy whispered. "I have no idea what this says… Freed?"

He looked down at the page, then his eyes widened.  _No…_  "It's… This isn't right…"

"What is it?" Lucy whispered. Freed reached out to the original letter again and she smacked his hand away. "There's still something that I don't trust about th—Laxus! Come here!" She grinned at the blond man as he stalked over. "Do me a favor and use that wonderful nose of yours to smell this letter."

"I'm not a dog, Blondie," Laxus growled.

"No, but you're a Dragon Slayer that can smell poison, right?" Lucy shot back.

Laxus frowned, then picked up the letter and smelled it. "Well, shit. It's laced with poison… How the—"

"There's a thin film over the paper," Lucy stated, glaring at the item. She lifted it up, running her thumb over it, then bent the corner. "This is high quality parchment, but the texture is all wrong. And it doesn't crinkle properly. It should be slightly porous, and the ink that was used to write the letter should have soaked in more than it has. Someone put some type of poison on the whole page, then wrote over top of it."

"Okay, two questions: How do you know that and why didn't any of us get poisoned?" Laxus asked.

"I know because my father used to use this same type of paper for his higher paying clients," Lucy said softly. "He hated using it since it cost so much money—last I knew it was close to 1,000 Jewels per page—and the ink would always end up smearing if you weren't careful, but some people insisted that they receive nothing less. As far as why no one else was poisoned? I don't know…"

"Because it was meant for me," Freed whispered.


	6. Past Burning

"What do you mean?" Makarov asked. He couldn't believe how quickly things were unraveling for the Rune mage. The poor young man had just gone through three weeks of unknown torment, and now his father was coming after him yet again.

"The hidden message…" Freed said, his voice cracking with the flurry of emotions flying through him. "It was from my brother, Christophe. He said that… that…" The room was starting to tip back and forth, the weight of what he'd read causing his mind to whirl. Freed clenched his hands and jaw while he tried to rein in everything he was feeling.

Lucy wiped her hands on her skirt, trying to make sure none of the poison that she had carelessly touched was on her, then wrapped her arms around Freed's shoulders.  _He's about to lose it, I can feel it…_  Freed's breathing had changed, started coming in shorter bursts, and when Lucy's arms wrapped around him, she felt him shaking like a leaf.

Freed took a shuddering breath.  _Lucy said to push just a little more… I can do this…_  "He says they know who s-saved me… And he heard my father talking about h-hurting…" He stopped. Freed couldn't get the words to come out, his throat closing as he tried to tell everyone what he read. Finally, he was barely able to choke out a sob. "I won't let them hurt you. I swear…" Freed's arms shot around Lucy's waist, crushing her to him as his fear finally took over.  _They'll hurt her if I don't go back. I can't let them…_

"It's okay, sweetie," Lucy whispered. "No one's going to hurt me."

"Th-They will… If I don't go back, they'll…" He couldn't breathe, his chest getting tighter as he imagined what they might put Lucy through just to get to him. He finally had a weakness that his father could exploit.

"Master," Lucy said softly, "We'll be back in a bit, okay?" She grabbed the sheet she had written the encoded message on, then a pen and another blank sheet of paper.  _Maybe I can get him to give me the key to this, then I'll write it out myself. He won't have to tell me…_

"Of course, child." He walked around his desk and pulled out a small key, then handed it to Lucy. "Here, it's for the spare office down the hall. Hold onto this for as long as you both need it."

Lucy smiled at him gratefully, then whispered, "Come on, Freed. We're gonna go relax for a bit, okay?" Freed nodded, and they slowly made their way out of Makarov's office to the unused office down the hall. Lucy locked the door behind them, and led Freed over to a small couch. He hadn't let go of her during the short walk, and even as they sat down he was clinging to her. She rubbed slow circles on his back as he shook, placing the papers and pen on the floor.

"Lucy… I d-don't want you to get hurt…" Freed whispered, a cold shiver wracking his body. He could picture it all, her bloodied and battered and left for dead, or worse… for him to find. Just so that he would get the message that he was supposed to go back to his old life. "I don't know w-what I'd—"

"Hush, it's okay, Freed. I promise, it's okay."

"It's not okay," he cried. "That m-message… it was… it…"

Lucy lifted Freed's head from her shoulder and looked into his eyes. Anguish marred his handsome face, and tears were pouring from him in a constant stream. "You don't need to worry about what your brother said right now. It's just you and me, sweetie. I know it's hard, but you have to try and relax, okay?" She tried to brush his tears away, but they were only replaced by more.

He couldn't relax. Not knowing what they would try to do if he didn't go back made him freeze up, and his breath was coming in shorter bursts.  _They'll kill her. She could die because of me… Life for a life…_  Memories flitted through his mind, just behind his eyes, and he tried to fight them back down. How ruthless his father could be when it came to getting something he wanted, the numerous times Freed had been escorted from a room so that his father's men could beat someone into submission, the beatings he had received while he was still living in his father's estate for not following the rules. "No… I w-won't let th—" Freed's eyes screwed shut as another image of Lucy's cold and limp body flashed in his mind, a rope tied around her bruised and broken neck and her eyes bloodshot.

 _Shit…_  "Freed, sweetie. Come on, look at me," Lucy whispered urgently. She pushed him back slightly so his back was resting against the back of the couch, then tried to lift his head up to no avail. It was just like the first panic attack he had, his body locking up while he tried to fight back whatever he was seeing.

"Don't die… Please…" he murmured. He could see himself waking up next to her in bed, her eyes wide and her stare endless, with his sword sticking out of her unmoving chest. "My fault…" Her throat slashed. "Please…" Hanging from a tree, her blood dripping and soaking into the forest floor. "Make it stop…" His father standing triumphantly over her crumpled body. "Lucy…"

"Freed, I'm right here." Lucy felt so lost. She had no clue what he was seeing, but he was begging for her to take it away from him, to help him stop the terror that was creeping through him.

It kept shifting. Every time he saw her, she would die a different way, and it was all Freed's fault. Suddenly, he was watching as she was the one that was tortured instead of him. Men surrounding her, beating and cutting into her beautiful skin. "No…" Pinning her to the ground, and ripping away her clothes. "No, stop…" She kicked and screamed, but she was just beaten harder. Freed flinched with every wound that was inflicted on her, every mark that marred her skin felt as if it was burning into his soul. "I can't… I can't take it…" He gasped for air, trying to take large gulps of it so he could breathe, but nothing worked. His heart shattered when he saw her lifeless on the floor of that cell. Her once pristine and creamy white skin bruised and bloodied, with deep gashes all across her naked flesh.

"Sweetie, come on." Lucy rubbed her hands along his arms, crouching in front of him in the hopes that he would see her. His eyes were still shut tight, and his hands had shot up to grab his head again.

 _Why can't I make it stop? I can't take this…_  Freed felt so lost and confused. He was seeing Lucy hurt again and again, everything ripped away from her and her screams echoing through his mind. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" He saw her hanging from the chains that held him when she had saved him. "Lucy…" Ansa was slashing at the barrier repeatedly, cackling as Lucy's eyes bugged out and electrical currents ran through her. He collapsed to his knees in that mental image. "It's my fault…" He was helpless. Just like before, when he had watched his team dying before his eyes. He couldn't do anything to stop it. "Please don't… don't hurt her…"

Lucy didn't know what else to do. She had shaken him, yelled at him, tried to soothe him. She was out of ideas. Lucy's conversation with Aquarius popped into her head.

" _So, if it feels right I shouldn't fight it?"_

" _Exactly."_

Lucy stood up, and shut off her mind, letting her instincts guide her. She pushed Freed's hunched shoulders back against the couch and carefully crawled into his lap, her legs straddling his hips. Lucy took a deep breath, calming her nerves, then forced his face to lift up with all her strength and crashed her lips onto his.  _Come on, Freed. This has to work…_

 _She's hurt because of me… It's my fault…_  He watched as Lucy was violently thrown to the ground, whipped repeatedly across her naked back and down her body. Line after angry line appeared to taint her flesh, oozing a dark crimson that made his stomach churn. She called out to him, begging for his help, and he just sat there. His breath caught in his throat, then he felt something warm pressing urgently against his lips, a weight settling over his legs and trapping him. Freed moved violently, trying to break free of whatever was holding him down.

Tears streamed down Lucy's face while Freed tried to break away from her. She held his head firmly between her hands, and moved over to whisper in his ear. "Please come back to me, Freed." She took the momentary stillness in him to grab his hands and put them on her bare waist. "Come back…" She shot back to his lips, moving hers against him and not caring if she started to bleed.

Her skin. He felt her skin beneath his hands, then something moving against his mouth. Warm air had brushed across him, sending chills through him at the familiarity of it. Freed looked down at his hands, confused by how he could feel her when she wasn't there. Something wet pressed to his lips, and he gasped. The taste that exploded on his tongue ripped him from that prison in his mind, and he was suddenly aware of everything. Lucy was straddling his lap, tears staining her cheeks, her lips moving roughly over his, her tongue gliding against his own, and his hands wrapped around her tiny waist. He groaned and gripped her tighter, quickly catching up and battling her for dominance in their kiss.  _She's safe. Lucy's not hurt… Oh thank Mavis…_

Lucy whimpered when she finally felt him respond, and the aggressiveness and apparent need he poured into the kiss sent a shot of pleasure right to her core. She gasped at the sensation, her body aching for something she had only ever read about, and she knew that she needed to feel more of Freed beneath her fingers. She wanted to run her hands over his chest and make sure this was real. She hadn't been caught in her own head during a panic attack, but there was some part of her that wanted to know without a doubt that he had come back. Her hands left his face and trailed down his chest, running over the dark red jacket that he wore when he left the house. She fumbled with the buttons, feeling like it took forever to get one through the hole, and when the last one was undone she spread his jacket open and rubbed her hands along his chest over his shirt.

He didn't know what had gotten into Lucy, but she was desperate for something and he couldn't deny her. She had surprised him by undoing his jacket and running her hands all over his chest, and Freed responded by sliding his hands up her back, memorizing just how soft her skin was against his lightly calloused hands. He groaned when she started fighting with the buttons on his dress shirt, and he quickly pulled his hands from her body to undo the buckle that held his jacket closed and his sword on his hip, then started pushing buttons through at lightning speed.

Lucy pulled back to stare at Freed's bared chest, the minimal light that flowed into the room illuminating him for her to see and highlighting the scars running all over him. Lucy licked her lips, tasting blood again and not caring in the slightest as she drank in the sight of him. She lightly ran her hands over his abs, sides, chest, and up to his neck, then back down, and felt a shiver run through him.

"You're okay," Freed whispered breathlessly. "You're really okay…"

She could hear how relieved he was, even though nothing could possibly have happened to her. The look in his eyes as they moved up and down her body, almost as if he was memorizing every bit of her, sent warmth blooming in Lucy's chest. Lucy smiled and whispered, "I'm okay." She leaned back down to kiss him, and squeaked when Freed's tongue pushed roughly into her mouth.

Freed's hands shot out to grab her barely covered rear, and he sat up pulling her more tightly against him, rubbing her lace-covered center roughly against his growing arousal. When she moaned, long and low, he twitched in anticipation and groaned in response. He shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it onto the floor along with his sword, then grabbed Lucy again and laid her down on the couch. His hands grabbed her legs, sliding up and under her skirt until he felt the creamy flesh of her backside in his palms. His thumbs pushed under her panties and circled her hips, and he groaned when she bucked against him.

Lucy couldn't believe how her body was responding to Freed's actions. It was as if everything in her wanted nothing more than to let him rip her clothes off right then. She moaned again when his hips pushed against her, blushing when she felt his full length through his pants.  _It's too soon_ , she thought. Another part of her mind popped up and whispered,  _But it feels right… Aquarius said to go with it when it feels right…_  Lucy's head shot back when Freed lowered his mouth to her neck, his lips closing down over the sensitive skin and roughly sucking and tonguing it. "Oh, Freed," she moaned.

Freed's breath caught in his throat when he heard his name fall from her lips. It was the most beautiful sound to ever grace his ears, and he wanted to hear it again. He nipped at Lucy's collar bone and worked his way across to the other side of her neck, still grinding against her at a steady pace. She was panting, her hands moving up to tangle in his hair while he marked the other side of her neck. He grunted when her legs wrapped around him and pulled him harder against her. "Lucy," he rasped and picked up his pace, pulling her hips more forcefully to brush against him. Freed marveled at the noises she made for him, because of him, and he couldn't get enough.

Lucy roughly pulled Freed's head from her neck and slammed his lips over hers again, and felt the wound on her top and bottom lips split open yet again. Once her blood hit their battling tongues, Lucy and Freed moaned. She pulled his lower lip into her mouth, sucking on it and rolling her tongue across it and smirked triumphantly when he groaned again. Freed's mouth crashed against hers again, his movements becoming more urgent. She felt his control slipping as his hands moved more freely over her, sweeping dangerously close to her center. Lucy whimpered when he was barely a hairsbreadth from touching her, her hips rolling while she acted on instinct alone.  _We shouldn't be doing this here,_  her barely functioning brain said.

He pulled away from her lips and leaned over to whisper, "Tell me to stop, and I will." He kissed down her neck and felt a swell of pride at the shiver that ran through her. He needed to feel her against him, in any way he could. She was safe, she hadn't been hurt. Every time her skin brushed against his, every stroke of her hands across his chest, every noise she made for him reminded him that she was alive. His father hadn't gotten to her.

"What?" Lucy asked breathlessly, her mind fuzzy with lust. She whimpered when Freed rubbed himself against her again, pushing her hips down to create more friction between them.

Freed's tongue darted out and trailed up the column of her throat, then he nipped at her earlobe. "I can hardly control myself with you, Lucy." Another nibble on her neck, his teeth grazing just enough to make her moan. "You decide when we stop. I won't push you."

Lucy nodded, her body filled with a sense of security that Freed was letting her decide how far they would go. He had put it in her hands, giving her the opportunity to choose for herself how much she would allow. She whimpered as his teeth grazed against the tender flesh of her neck again, felt his hard length pressing against her core through his pants. "I've never… done this…"

"I know," Freed panted, pulling away to look her in the eye. He had to control himself. This was entirely in Lucy's hands. If she needed him to stop because she wasn't ready, he would do it in a heartbeat. He took another deep breath and leaned his forehead against hers. "This is your decision entirely. Anything that happens between us is up to you, Lucy." He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. "If you tell me to stop, I will. No questions asked."

Lucy looked deeply into Freed's eyes, and saw the sincerity of his words.  _He'll only tell me what he means,_  she thought as she remembered how much his word meant to him. She took a deep breath, trying to get her mind fully functioning before she asked him her next question. Once she felt like she was ready, Lucy bit her lip nervously. "Freed… have you ever… you know…"

He kissed her tenderly, barely brushing his lips against hers and whispered, "No, Lucy. You are the first person to ever get remotely close to me." She was his first everything. The first woman he truly cared for as more than a sister—like Evergreen. His first kiss, first girlfriend. Lucy was the only person Freed had ever met that was able to make his mind sit back and let his body take over. She was the first person to really get to know him, and wasn't bored by what he said. She held a piece of his magic in her, and always would. No matter what happened in their future, she would always be the most precious to him because she understood him.

Her heart was pounding in her chest at his confession.  _This is just as new to him._  She slid her hands up his chest and cupped his face, brushing her thumbs along his cheeks. Slowly, Lucy leaned up and kissed him, moving her lips timidly over his. After a few moments, Lucy brushed her tongue lightly across the seam of Freed's lips, then carefully pushed it into his mouth when he granted her entrance. Unlike the earlier frenzy they had been in, Lucy took her time and explored him letting her tongue glide against his, flicking it lightly, then pulling back just a little before moving back in. She pulled him closer as she laid her head back on the couch, and felt Freed hesitantly lay himself over her.

This was the kiss he had wanted to give her when she was healed. The real kiss where neither of them were worried about hurting her. Freed's hand glided up the exposed skin on her leg from her knee to her skirt and back, then he felt Lucy wrap her legs lightly around his hips. He fought the urge to grind against her, and instead focused on Lucy's lips. Her hands carefully explored his exposed chest, her small fingers dipping into the curves of his muscles, wrapping around his back to slide up and down and sending shivers down his spine. Much to Freed's surprise, Lucy's hand moved to stop his from traveling along her leg, and he was about to pull away when she placed it on her bare waist.  _Only where she'll let me,_  he thought as he rubbed small circles where she had put his hand.

It was all so new to her. Lucy and Freed had kissed in countless ways before, timid when they first started then rough and sexy as hell when they lost control. However, no matter how many times she had her lips pressed to his, it had never been like this. They weren't worried about hurting her, since she was already bleeding, but they still went slowly. Each taking their time to learn what the other liked, how they molded and moved against each other in unison. It was perfect. Lucy loved how it felt when Freed's hand was gliding over her leg, but she wanted to try something different. She had gently moved his hand to her waist until she got the courage to do more.  _If I don't do it, then it's okay. We can take our time._

Freed could taste her blood in his mouth, and he knew that she could too. Neither of them could find it in them to care though, because they never wanted this perfect moment to end. The hand on her waist was timidly grabbed again, and Freed wondered what she was doing. Lucy's fingers intertwined with his and she slowly moved his hand north to cup her full breast, then her hand slid up his arm and went back to moving over his chest. He was completely shocked; though the majority of his brain had shut off when he felt her mound filling his hand, the small part that still worked had wide eyes and a raging nosebleed from the intimate contact with her. Lucy had been the one to choose what he did, how he touched her, and he found it hard to believe that she really wanted this.  _I made it clear that it's her choice… If she wants me to stop, she knows what to do._  He had to trust her judgment.

Freed massaged Lucy's breast slowly, feeling her nipple harden beneath her clothing at his attentions. He moved his hand and brushed his thumb across it, then pulled away when Lucy gasped. He looked down to see a light blush dusting across her cheeks, and an intrigued smile playing across her lips. He stared deeply into her eyes as his thumb moved over the hardened bud again, and his member twitched excitedly when her eyes closed and a soft moan spilled from her lips. Freed carefully leaned back down and began kissing her again, keeping their pace slow no matter how much he wanted to ravage her again.

Lucy had no idea how long she and Freed had been in that office, his body pressed against hers while they kissed, and his hands moving over her clothed chest as he found every sensitive area she had. After a long while, Lucy laced her fingers with Freed's and pulled his hands gently away from her. He lifted his head to look into her eyes, and she smiled softly at him, sucking on her bottom lip to try and get any excess blood off.

Freed slowly sat up and pulled Lucy with him, leaning back against the opposite arm of the couch. She giggled as she straddled his legs again and started to button up his shirt. "You have no idea what you do to me, Lucy," he whispered, watching her fingers swiftly do up the buttons.  _She's much faster when she's not preoccupied._

Lucy smirked at Freed and said, "Probably the same thing that you do to me, Freed." Once she was done with his shirt, Lucy leaned in and pressed a quick kiss to his lips. "Thank you. For letting me decide when we should stop."

"Of course," he said, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into a tender hug. "I care too much to rush you into anything."

"So, hypothetically speaking… If I said I was ready to go all the way right now, woul—" Lucy started out soft, then squeaked when she felt the bulge in Freed's pants twitch with excitement. "Well, I think I have my answer," she said with a fresh blush across her cheeks.

Freed chuckled lightly, a blush dusting his own cheeks at the thought of Lucy and him reaching that point in their relationship. His hands trailed up and down her back as he held her.

"Freed?" Lucy whispered. She didn't want to ruin the moment they were having, but she also needed to help him with what he was going through. When he mumbled, Lucy whispered, "I need you to tell me about what happened."

Freed stiffened when he realized she was right. He had to tell her. Lucy had said she would help him, and there was no way for her to do that if he kept it bottled up or ignored it. The only problem was that he didn't know where to start.

Sensing Freed's hesitation, Lucy pushed her fingers through his hair in an attempt to soothe him. "Just give me a general idea of what you were seeing when you panicked, sweetie."

"Y-You…" Freed said, his voice barely breaking through. He fought to keep the vibrant images away so he wouldn't break down again, and swallowed thickly as he felt bile rise in his stomach.

"Deep breaths," she whispered. "It'll help you relax."

He nodded, then took a few deep, soothing breaths. When his anxiety cleared a little, he said, "You kept dying… and it was my fault."

Lucy kissed his cheek, still running her fingers through his hair. "How was it your fault?"

"I didn't do anything to stop it," Freed said, his arms tightening around Lucy's waist and his head dropping to her shoulder in shame. "I just watched it happen…"

"I'm right here, sweetie," Lucy said with a sad smile. "Look at me and tell me what you see."

Freed picked his head up, confused by what she meant. He looked into her eyes, brown and purple, and saw that she was radiating pride.  _She's fine… and she's proud… of what though?_  "You're not hurt. You're okay…" he said with a relieved sigh.

"What else do you see?"

He kept his gaze locked with hers, trying to figure out why he was seeing such an emotion from her right then. "Pride."

Lucy nodded and kissed him chastely. "I'm very proud of you, Freed. Thank you for telling me."

Freed's eyes widened in shock.  _She's proud… of me?_  He didn't think that he had done anything worth her being proud, but then he realized what she was telling him. He told her what he had seen. Even though it had been difficult to think about, he had pushed through it and told Lucy. She helped him start working out his fear of being helpless by getting him to talk about it. "Th-Thank you, Lucy…" he whispered, laying his head on her shoulder again while she wrapped her arms around him.

After another few minutes, Lucy said, "Freed, what was that language in the hidden message? I've never seen anything like it."

Freed smiled fondly. "My brothers—Christophe and Avery—and I made it up when we were younger. We all had to study ancient languages, and decided that we would have our own secret code. I was already fascinated with words and languages by then, so I made it and gave them a key to it. Once they had it memorized, we burnt the key so no one would ever find them."

Lucy smiled softly and said, "It sounds like you guys got into some trouble growing up." When Freed nodded and chuckled, she couldn't help but laugh along with him. "So, that's why it was written like that?" she asked, "So that if anyone else found it, they wouldn't be able to figure it out?"

"It's really not that hard to decipher," Freed said with a grin. "I made it when I was seven." He reached down and picked up the paper that Lucy had written on. "Take the letter, turn it 90 degrees clockwise, and then mirror it vertically so they're sitting back to back. Then take the letter from its original position and turn it 90 degrees counter-clockwise and write that in the center of the mirrored letters."

Lucy giggled, tipping the paper to look at it while Freed still held onto it. He was right. It was a little hard to decipher at first, each of the letters looking like strange squiggles and loops, but then she was able to see each letter. She just had to find the counter-clockwise letter among all the other markings. "I feel silly for not seeing that sooner…"

Freed shrugged. "You were more concerned with copying it down so that I could read it."

"Well, you're much better at translating than I am," Lucy said with a smirk. "Can you tell me what it says, or should I figure it out for myself now that I know your secret?"

Freed frowned and whispered, "I would rather you didn't have to know what it says at all, Lucy. But, it's better if you know what is going on." He handed her the paper, then picked up the pen from the floor and handed her that as well.

Lucy smiled and kissed the tip of his nose before placing the paper on his chest. Her eyes shot from the coded letters to the center of the page where she was writing out the meaning of the message. A minute later, after she went over the message again to make sure she got it right, Lucy sat up victoriously and showed him the paper. "Ta-Da!"

Freed grinned widely, letting his indifferent mask crumble for the moment, as he looked from Lucy to the paper and back. "Wonderful, Lucy. You could give Levy a run for her money if you keep translating that quickly."

Lucy blushed and shook her head. Words and their meanings, plus deciphering puzzles in other languages, were Levy's life. She would never be as good as her blue-haired friend. "No, I doubt it," Lucy said sheepishly. "I just knew I could do this one since you told me how to figure it out."

"Don't doubt yourself, Lucy," Freed said happily. "Even knowing how to decipher it, you still did it very quickly."

Lucy smiled, still blushing, then looked down at the paper to actually read the message. Her smile vanished when she saw what it said, and she instantly understood why Freed had reacted the way he did.

_Freed, he knows about her. No one knows who she is, only that she's a blonde mage. It won't be long before he learns her identity. I heard Father talking to his associates about how they would get you to return. He said they'll kill her if you don't come back. Life for a life—if you give him yours and run the business, then she'll be safe. I know we haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but if you've let someone get close to you then I'm happy for you. Father is sick, and you're still legally the next in line. He won't wait to make the next move. Please be safe. –Christophe._

"Oh, Freed…" Lucy said, dropping the paper to the ground. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and whispered, "I'm so sorry."

Freed took a deep breath, not letting his anxiety of Lucy being harmed overwhelm him. "We'll figure this out," he said softly.

Lucy sat up quickly and said, "How did you know the poison was meant for you though? Why didn't it affect anyone else?"

Freed sighed, his head falling back against the arm of the couch. "One of my father's clients created a poison that can target specific individuals. You need a sample of their DNA, or someone closely related to them. He most likely used his own or one of my brother's to create the poison."

"But, then none of them would have been able to touch that paper either," Lucy mused.

"Gloves. He knows that I despise them. Even though I still dress the way I did when I lived there, I refuse to wear gloves. They make it harder to write runes," Freed said with a disgusted look on his face. "That poison soaks through the skin and into the bloodstream, then essentially boils the person from the inside out. It takes about fifteen minutes for the target to feel the effects, and the whole process takes less than an hour."

Lucy shivered at the thought of what that poison could do, and cuddled closer to Freed when his arms wrapped protectively around her. "We need to tell Master. It's obvious that he's not going to target the whole guild. I'm sure he was trying to use that as a ruse."

Freed nodded. "It's possible, but I wouldn't put it past him to still attack the guild when I don't return."

Lucy held onto him tighter than before. She wished there was some way to make it all stop. She wanted everything to go away. She wanted Freed' father to accept him for who he was, and let the man she was falling for be happy. Lucy's eyes widened at her train of thought.  _I'm falling for him…_  It was easy to see that they were very close already. Freed's torture had given them a huge common ground to build up from, and she never questioned how he needed to be comforted. Lucy instinctually helped him, gave him all the comfort he needed while he battled his demons.  _We haven't been together for long, so how do I know that I'm really falling for him?_  Her heart melted at the thought of falling in love with Freed. It was too soon to tell if that's what she felt for him, but Lucy readily accepted that she cared about him.  _All in due time._  She paused, then frowned. "Freed, I thought you said your brothers felt the same as your father did."

"The last time we spoke was the day I left," Freed said softly. "Christophe yelled at me while I packed my things, saying I was selfish and didn't deserve to be a Justine. Avery just watched from a distance and cried." He took a deep breath. Freed had spent a long time trying to forget what his life had been like before he joined Fairy Tail, and now it was all coming crashing back down on him.

Lucy nodded and stroked his hair. "Do you think he meant what he said in that message?"

Freed shrugged. "I don't know if he was sincere," he whispered, "But, he was more like my father than either Avery or myself."

"What about Avery, what was he like?" Lucy asked.

"Avery was the sweet one. He always showed everyone just how he was feeling," Freed said reminiscently. "He was more like our mother than Christophe or me. My father hated how weak Avery seemed, and usually tried to beat him until he acted more like a man."

Lucy's throat constricted while she listened to Freed talk about his family. "Tried?"

Freed nodded and laid his head on her shoulder again. "I stood up for him whenever I was around. Christophe was usually just in the background watching everything unfold. Since I stood up to my father, I would be punished instead of Avery for questioning his judgment… but as soon as I left the room to get bandaged up, he would start in on Avery anyway. It never stopped me from trying to help him though… He's the youngest. I had to take care of him…"

Tears fell down Lucy's cheeks and she held onto Freed tightly.  _I wish he didn't have to go through that…_

"It's why I'm like this," he whispered guiltily.

"Like what?" Lucy whispered, sniffling and running her hands through his hair in slower strokes.

"Emotionless." He hated the mask he had created to deal with his father, but it was so deeply ingrained in him that even when he left his home, he refused to let it go. Every time it crumbled, he built it back up stronger. After Fantasia—when he openly cried in front of Mira, Cana, and Elfman—he spent a long time making sure that people would never see him weak like that again. He was nicer to people, but every facial expression he allowed them to see was carefully calculated so no one would get close to him. "Emotions are a sign of weakness. I couldn't let my father or anyone else see…" He couldn't keep going. His words died in his throat as his breath became shaky and his voice hoarse. Freed squeezed his eyes shut and wished that he could keep everything inside, but his sadness overwhelmed him and he could do nothing to stop his own tears from falling.

"Emotions are not a weakness, sweetie," Lucy whispered. "Emotions give you strength. Rage, sadness, joy. Everything you feel can be turned into a form of power to keep you going."  _Love is the strongest of all of them…_  "Why didn't your mom ever stop him?"

Freed shook his head and said, "She tried once, and he nearly killed her. The next time she tried to stop him from hurting me, Avery and Christophe dragged her out of the room and told her that we wouldn't be able to bear it if she got hurt. After that, she just sat by his side, completely silent and holding back her tears while we were hurt."

 _It's not like she could leave_ , Lucy thought sadly.  _She wouldn't have been able to take you three with her, and she wouldn't have left you alone to face him. Even if she did go, no one in high society would have taken her in_. She pressed a soft kiss to his temple and said, "You're wrong though, Freed."

Freed looked up at her with confusion in his eyes. "About what?"

"You're not emotionless," Lucy said softly while she wiped away his tears. "You tried to protect yourself the only way you knew how, but that doesn't mean that your emotions aren't in there." She kissed his forehead, then laid his head back on her shoulder. "You'll never have to hide them with me, Freed. I want your smiles and laughter. I want your tears, your heartache." She leaned down to his ear, running her hands across his back, and whispered, "Let it all go, sweetie. It's just you and me, so let it out."

Freed hugged Lucy tightly, feeling everything he held back for years come crashing through him. His heart clenched as he remembered the looks on his mother's and brothers' faces when he left, all the nights he had to care for himself and his brothers after being beaten because his father didn't want the help knowing about it, the countless times that he had argued in vain with his father about magic. He still tried to fight it, but eventually he was overwhelmed. It was as if someone had knocked the air out of him, and once he got it back he couldn't hold onto his emotions any longer. He cried against Lucy's shoulder, taking every bit of comfort she offered him, and finally let out everything he'd fought so hard to keep locked away.

* * *

Lucy held him while he let everything out, stroking his back or hair and whispering encouragingly to him, reminding him that she was right there if he needed her. Once his cries had finally died down, Freed was wracked with tremors. Lucy had laid herself down on the couch and pulled him tightly against her, letting his head rest on her chest and his arm wrap tightly around her waist. He had fallen asleep in her embrace even though he was still shaking occasionally, and Lucy soothed him again and again. She laid there with Freed, watching over him while he slept, and smiled at how peaceful he looked.

Lucy peeked over the arm of the couch when she heard the locking mechanism turn, and saw the door silently open to reveal Laxus. Alone. He walked in, carefully closing and locking the door behind him, then made his way over to sit in a chair in front of the couch. He was frowning while he walked through the room, wondering why they were laying down. Once he smelled the amount of salt in the room, and saw that Freed was passed out with his arms wrapped around Lucy, Laxus realized what was going on. He ran a hand through his hair, then looked at Lucy. "What's going on, Blondie?" he whispered.

Freed stirred slightly at the new sounds, but Lucy started rubbing her hands along his back and through his hair to comfort him again. Once he settled back against her, she looked sadly at Laxus. "He… It's a long story," she whispered.

"You guys have been in here for three hours," Laxus whispered back. "You've gotta give me more than 'it's a long story.'"

Lucy sighed, kissing Freed's hair, then nodded. "He had a panic attack again." She motioned to the paper that was sitting discarded on the floor, and waited for Laxus to read it. "That's what the message said. It's from his brother." Lucy sighed again, and smiled when Freed nuzzled against her, his grip tightening briefly. "He kept picturing me dying, Laxus. He flipped out."

"Shit…"

Lucy nodded. "I finally got him to calm down, and we talked for a bit." She blushed as she remembered just how she had gotten him to come back to her. "He told me about his family. What it was like when he was still there."

"Blondie," Laxus started, staring at the paper in his hand. "They're threatening to kill you if he doesn't go back."

Lucy nodded again. "I know, Laxus."

"That's insane," Laxus nearly shouted. He and Lucy froze when Freed moved again, and Lucy glared at him once the Rune mage settled back down. "Why is he even asleep?"

Lucy smiled sadly down at the man in her arms, then looked back up to Laxus. "It took a lot out of him. Like I said, he told me about his family. He had it pretty rough before he left, and kept it all bottled up because of what his dad taught him. He finally let it all out, and he's been asleep for about two hours."

"Is that why it smells like someone was trying to flood the room in tears?" Laxus whispered. His eyebrows were drawn together, the concern for his friend evident in every bit of his body.

Lucy nodded. "I'm not waking him up, in case you're wondering. He needs his rest. After everything he's gone through in the last few days alone, I don't blame him."

"You're really good for him, Blondie," Laxus said, his face softening at her words.

"What do you mean, Laxus?" Lucy replied with a light blush. "I'm just doing what any other girlfriend would do…"

Laxus chuckled lightly and shook his head. "No, you're doing more than that." When he saw the confusion on her face he leaned back and crossed his arms over his chest, letting a soft smile sit on his face. "You're keeping him together while he gets through this shit."

"I've been through it myself," she answered sadly. "I know what he's going through… at least a little of it. I was never tortured for as long as he was."

Laxus nodded and then said, "All the more reason that you two are so good together. You know what he needs to hear, how to comfort him, and how to help him when he loses it. You guys have been together since yesterday, but he already treats you like it's been years." He smiled down at his sleeping friend. "You know he trusts you more than he does us?"

Lucy's brow furrowed and she shook her head. Before she could respond, Laxus continued.

"I'm serious. He lets you see parts of him that we don't get to see. Like his office. It never made sense to us why he wouldn't let us in there, but we all just figured he wanted to have privacy even when we were over there. He showed it to you right away and lets you go in there even when he's working. You got him to talk about his past, which he never talks about. We only knew that he came from some rich family that didn't like magic. From what I can tell, you actually got him to let that shit go."

"I'm sure he was just being nice when he showed me his office," Lucy retorted. "And we talked about his past because of what's going on with his father."

"Alright, then why is it he'll let you see him cry?" Laxus challenged with a raised eyebrow. "And you guys slept together twice. He's even curled up on you right now, perfectly content with sleeping the day away."

"He's going through a lot, Laxus. He's bound to cry… And he asked me to sleep next to him those two times so he wouldn't have nightmares. Right now, he's just exhausted…" Lucy lowered her eyes and frowned.

"You can rationalize it all you want, but from where I'm sitting you guys are perfect for each other…" Laxus leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, his good mood shifting into one of concern for the blonde on the couch. "If you think all that, then why do you think he's with you? Freed's never been interested in  _anyone_  before."

Lucy didn't look up at him. She just shrugged. "I don't know, Laxus… I've been wondering the same thing. We…" Lucy sighed.

"C'mon, Blondie," Laxus said softly. "I know I'm an ass most times, but you can talk to me. You're part of our team now. So, as far as I'm concerned, you're like a sister to me."

Lucy's eyes shot up to look into Laxus' stormy blue ones. "R-Really?"

Laxus smiled and nodded. "So, tell big brother Laxus what's wrong."

Lucy giggled lightly and rolled her eyes. "I don't know. We didn't know each other that well before I found him. Then he asked me out the next morning. It was all so sudden, and I didn't know what to make of everything. I'm glad that I listened to my gut and said yes, because he's amazing…" Lucy smiled softly at Freed and kissed his hair, then brushed his bangs away from his face before looking back at Laxus. "I'm still trying to figure out how to open up to him… to everyone really… Everything is changing so much and so quickly that I just feel completely lost. I don't know what he sees in me. I know he thinks I'm beautiful, even with this mark on my face. And I know that when he looks at me he doesn't see it. Just like I don't see his scars when I look at him. What if…" Lucy sighed, looking away again.

Laxus sighed. He slowly got up from the chair and sat down in front of the couch, taking Lucy's hand in his. "Tell me, Blondie."

"What if he's only with me because I saved him?" she whispered so quietly that she didn't think even Laxus could hear her.

"Freed's not like that," he said. "He's grateful, sure. We all are. But, Freed thinks everything through about thirty fucking times before he says or does  _anything._  You know he only says what he means, so if he asked you to be his girlfriend, then he really wants you in his life. You make him smile—more than just a smirk when he thinks something is funny. Have you asked him why you guys are together?"

Lucy shook her head. "I was going to talk to him about it today. Last night, I was wishing my mom was still around so I could talk to her about it, and Aquarius had me summon her. She told me to talk to him."

"Isn't she the one that's always trying to kill you?" Laxus asked with a smirk. He had heard plenty of stories about the angry Water Spirit throwing Lucy around during fights.

Lucy smiled fondly and nodded. "She was my first spirit. She used to be my mom's. I was just as surprised as you are that she wasn't trying to drown me, but I guess she saw that I really needed someone to talk to…"

"Well, she gave you some good advice. You'll never really know why Freed wants to be with you unless you ask him," Laxus said softly.

After a moment, Lucy looked back at Laxus and whispered, "Hey, Laxus… can I ask you a question?"

He nodded.

"Do you think things are moving too fast with me and Freed?" Lucy asked, an embarrassed blush creeping across her cheeks.

"Well, you guys haven't had sex yet," Laxus started, then had to stifle a laugh when he saw Lucy's eyes widen. He pointed to his nose and winked. "Honestly, Blondie. It doesn't matter when you guys do whatever it is you're thinking about. If you wanna rip off his clothes when he wakes up and fuck his brains out, I doubt he's going to stop you…"

Lucy giggled and nodded. "I know. He made that pretty clear earlier…"

Laxus' eyes widened, then he shook his head. "What I'm getting at is that you two care about each other, so the whole sex thing isn't all that important when it comes to how long you've been together. If you care about each other and you both want it, then I say just go for it."

"But, shouldn't you be in love first?" Lucy asked innocently.

"Heh, yeah that's what I was always told too," Laxus said with a smile. "I've slept with plenty of chicks that I didn't give a shit about. So, technically you don't  _have_  to be in love. I hear it's better if you are though."

"Have you ever been in love?"

Laxus sighed. "Once, Blondie. It's complicated though…" He saw the innocent look Lucy was giving him, and realized that he just told her something he had never admitted to anyone else before.  _Shit, she's good at getting information out of people…_  They sat in silence for a few minutes, and Laxus looked at Lucy while she was lost in thought. She was definitely innocent, and it was clear that while she understood the mechanics of sex, she didn't understand how relationships were supposed to work too well. She couldn't see why Freed would be interested in her, and it blew Laxus' mind that she could be so blind to it. While he thought, Laxus came to realize that what he had originally told her was completely true, but even more than he had realized when it came to her. He viewed everyone on his team as if they were family—Bickslow and Freed were like brothers to him, and Evergreen was like a sister—but he had never opened up to any of them the way he had with Lucy. He treated her as if she really was his relative, easing her fears and trying to help her work through her relationship with Freed.  _Hell, we're both blonde… Might as well be related._

"Laxus?"

"Yeah, Blondie."

"What's it like?" Lucy asked softly. "How do you know you're in love?"

"Didn't your mom ever tell you?" Laxus asked, tilting his head to the side. He knew that Lucy was close with her mom before she died. He figured the woman would have at least told Lucy about what it felt like to fall in love with someone.

Lucy shook her head sadly. "I was too young, I guess…"

"Well, what do you think it's like?"

"I don't know… People say all kinds of stuff about it. You can't eat or sleep without that person. Your heart starts beating really fast when they're around. But that doesn't tell me anything… Aside from the fact that these people need to see a doctor, because they might be having a heart attack…"

Laxus chuckled and shook his head. "Well, I didn't know I was in love with her until I came back to Fairy Tail. Looking back on it, I don't know how I missed it. I thought about her all the time, and I always smiled when she was around. She made me feel better no matter what, like I was the only person in the world that mattered. It broke my heart to see her upset, so I would do anything I could to make her happy. The biggest part though was her smile. Every time I saw it, I would just warm up from the inside out," Laxus said with a soft smile. "I can't even think about being with anyone but her. She's everything I could have hoped for in a person."

Lucy smiled at him and said, "That sounds wonderful. Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

Laxus sighed, laying his head down on the arm of the couch from his position on the floor. He looked at Lucy's small hand that still sat in his and said, "I don't think she feels the same way. It'd kill me if I told her and she didn't…"

"Well, you'll never know until you try, Laxus… What if she feels the same way and she's too scared to tell you?" Lucy asked softly.

Laxus shrugged.

"So, you'd rather be alone and pining for her than taking a chance and possibly finding out that she loves you too?" Lucy asked, her face scrunching up in her disapproval.

Laxus shrugged again, then looked back up at Lucy. "She probably hasn't forgiven me for Fantasia…"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Are all four of you still hung up on that?" she asked with a sigh. "Laxus, we  _all_  forgave you a long time ago. You're back in the guild, you're gonna be the next guildmaster, and you've proven that you're not the same guy you were when that happened. We understand you strayed a little from your path, and it's  _okay_. People make mistakes." Lucy squeezed his hand lightly and gave him an encouraging smile. "You're never going to be happy if you don't take a chance. So, go tell her…"

"You really think so?" Laxus asked, a small glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.

Lucy nodded happily. "I do. You'll never know until you tell her. And if she rejects you, then I'll kick her ass myself."

Laxus chuckled again and shook his head. "You sure you wanna do that, Blondie?"

Lucy paused, trying to figure out who this woman might be. "Is she in the guild, Laxus?"

He nodded.

Lucy looked at him for a moment, then said, "Does she have long white hair and blue eyes?" When Laxus blushed Lucy grinned. "I knew it!" she whispered. "Go tell her."  _Mira's been in love with this dunce for years… Oh, those two are just ridiculous!_  Lucy was suddenly very relieved that she already knew about Mira's feelings for Laxus.  _If she didn't feel the same way, I'd be very worried about trying to kick her ass…_

"You know, I thought I was the one giving relationship advice," Laxus muttered with a smirk on his face.

"You were," Lucy said softly. "And you gave me some great advice. Thank you, Laxus."

Laxus stood up slowly, then placed a hand on Lucy's head and shrugged. He smiled down at her when she cuddled closer to Freed, then took off his coat and laid it over the two of them. When Lucy looked at him wide-eyed he said, "It's alright, I'll get it from you guys later."

"Thank you," she whispered.

Laxus bent down and pressed a soft kiss to Lucy's hair. When he stood up and walked out, he said, "No problem, little sis."

* * *

"How are they, my boy?" Makarov asked as Laxus left the office.

Laxus was still in such a good mood from talking to Lucy that he didn't let his smile falter. "They'll be alright, Gramps. Lucy's taking good care of him."

 _Did he just call her Lucy?_  "You seem very happy, Laxus. What happened in there?" Makarov asked as they made their way back to his own office.

"Freed's asleep. She's watching over him," Laxus said with a shrug. After they made it to Makarov's office, he sat down in a chair and leaned back. "I had a long talk with her about their relationship."

"What did you say?"

Laxus rolled his eyes. "None of your business old man. Needless to say, she wanted advice and I gave it to her."

Makarov smiled, then his eyes widened. "Where's your coat?"

Laxus blushed and looked away. "I let them borrow it…"  _He's gonna make a big deal out of this…_

Makarov grinned and said, "So you care about our little Lucy, then? You never let anyone touch your coat, my boy."

Laxus rolled his eyes again and sighed.  _Might as well get it over with._ "Yeah, Gramps. She's like a sister to me. Just like the rest of my team are like my family." When Makarov gave him a pointed look, Laxus sighed again. "Fine. I feel like she's really my little sister. Are you happy?"

"Extremely!" Makarov shouted. "Now, when are you going to stop messing around and find a woman to give me some great-grandbabies?"

Laxus stood up, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Never, old man… Not fucking ever…" As he walked out of the office, he could hear Makarov's cackling laughter. Laxus smirked and shook his head while he made his way down the stairs to see a certain barmaid.

* * *

Freed's eyes slowly opened to see nothing but gold. He instantly recognized Lucy's vanilla and strawberry scent, and pulled her closer. It was strange to think that he had really let out everything he'd kept in for so long, and even stranger that she had accepted it without batting an eye. She was still with him, and by the way her arms were draped around him she was keeping him safe. Freed was perfectly content to lay there all day and night, but they needed to talk to Makarov about what they had discussed. He slowly looked up at Lucy's face and saw her smiling down at him.

"Hey, sweetie. How are you feeling?" Lucy asked softly.

Freed kissed her collar bone and whispered, "Better. Thank you for earlier."

She smiled again and brushed his bangs from his face. "Any time."

"How long was I asleep for?" Freed asked as he ran his nose along her neck.

Lucy giggled. "Oh, about three hours. I didn't want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful." She thought for a moment, then blushed when she remembered her conversation with Laxus. "Laxus came to check on you an hour ago."

"Did he?" Freed asked softly, his fingers making lazy circles and Lucy's hip.

"Yeah. I talked him for a bit, then he left his coat with us and walked out," Lucy said non-chalantly.

Freed froze.  _Laxus doesn't let anyone use his coat._  That was when he noticed just how cozy he was with Lucy, and the fur-lined coat laying on top of them. "What…"

Lucy giggled at Freed's reaction. "He said he'll get it from us later."

"But… why did he leave it?" Freed asked. He was utterly shocked by their leader's actions.

Lucy shrugged. She wasn't going to tell Freed about her conversation with Laxus concerning her relationship with the Rune mage. Or Laxus being in love with Mira. Or the fact that he kissed her head and called her his little sister. So, she wasn't going to tell Freed  _most_  of what happened while he was asleep. "You'll have to ask him later on. He's a very confusing person." She sighed happily when Freed nodded and continued nuzzling against her throat.

"We should go talk with Master," Freed whispered.

"But I'm comfy," Lucy whined playfully.

"As am I, but we can't stay in here all day," Freed chuckled. He lightly kissed her neck again, and smiled at the small shiver that ran through her.

"Freed," Lucy whispered breathily. "I'm pretty sure Laxus will kill us if he smells me getting all hot and bothered on his coat…"

Freed pulled away and looked into her eyes, a blush on his cheeks. He dropped his head when Lucy giggled and said, "Maybe we should get up."

* * *

Freed sat silently while Lucy talked with Makarov. She had said that she would do all the talking so he didn't have to think about any of it, and he was more than thankful that she understood how hard it would have been for him.

"I don't like this new turn of events," Makarov said solemnly. He was going to have to keep a close eye on all of his children, because there was no telling if Freed's father would attack the guild for his son's refusal to return. "We will have to be very careful until this matter is resolved."

Lucy nodded, and curled up next to Freed. She smiled when his arm wrapped around her waist, but she still felt how tense he was. He had done an amazing job of keeping his anxiety down while she spoke to the Master, and she couldn't have been more proud of him. "Freed, is there any way that you could just… talk to him?" she asked softly.

Freed shook his head. "I tried before I left, and he wouldn't listen. I fear it would be even less effective now that I have been gone for so long."

Lucy sighed. She remembered how her own father had acted to try and get her to come back. He had hired Phantom Lord to kidnap her. All so that he could sell her into some marriage to advance his business. There had been no talking to him about it, and she was surprised that he had let her leave so easily when she had finally returned.

Suddenly, the doors to Makarov's office burst open, and Laxus rushed inside with eyes wide in fear. He visibly relaxed when he saw Lucy and Freed sitting in the office and ran a hand through his hair. He was panting, electricity sparking across his skin from the anger and anxiety rolling through him. "Thank fucking Mavis you guys are still here…"

"Laxus," Makarov asked, standing up quickly. He hardly ever saw his grandson so upset, letting the usual scowl or smirk disappear to show what he really felt.

Evergreen and Bickslow rushed into the room, and when their eyes met with Lucy's and Freed's, they sighed. Evergreen ran over and knelt in front of the couple, throwing her arms around them. "You're okay… We thought…" She was shaking and couldn't find the words she needed to express how relieved she was.

"What's going on?" Lucy asked. She looked at the other members of her team, and was really starting to worry.

"Lucy," Laxus said softly. "I'm so sorry…"

"What's happened?!" Lucy shouted. Laxus never said her name. Ever. And he definitely didn't apologize.

A bright flash of golden light filled the office, and when it dissipated everyone gasped to see Virgo standing there. Her usually pristine maid outfit was burnt, revealing the frilly petticoat beneath it. There were black smudges across her skin, and a thin film of ash covered her from head to toe. She bowed low, then stood to look at her Princess with sadness filling her eyes. "Princess, I am sorry. I tried to save as much as I could, but…"

"Virgo! What happened to you?! Are you alright?" Lucy asked, pulling herself from Freed and Evergreen and sprinting to her Spirit. She looked over Virgo's body, making sure there was nothing wrong. The acrid stench of smoke filled her nostrils.

"Princess…" Virgo said, her voice nearly cracking. "Your house… it…"

Lucy took a step back. "What about my house?" She turned to look at Laxus, then at everyone else in the room.

"Juvia's there right now putting out the fire," Laxus said softly. He couldn't look in her eyes and see the devastation in them; it was bad enough he could smell it from the doorway.

"Fire?" Lucy whispered.

Laxus nodded and ran a hand through his hair, the crackling of his electricity soothing him just enough to explain what happened. "Wendy was going to stop by your place to see how you were doing. She hadn't been to the guild yet, and didn't know that you were here or that you stayed at Freed's last night." He took a deep breath and sighed. "She saw someone running away from your place, and went to follow them. Then there was an explosion."

"Oh my Mavis! Is Wendy alright?!" Lucy shouted.

"She's fine. She wasn't close enough to get hurt. She didn't know if you were in there, so she turned around in hopes of finding Natsu to eat the flames… Or to find you already at the guild. She ran into Juvia on the way and told her to get to your place to put the fire out. I didn't know if you guys had already left when she came bursting into the guild."

Lucy nodded numbly and looked back at Virgo.

The Spirit sighed and said, "I saw the explosion from the Spirit World. Leo said he would keep an eye on you, and that I should check your home. He felt like something bad was going to happen after the revelation this morning, Princess. Once the initial blast subsided, and there was only a fire, I opened my gate and started collecting your belongings. Everything I could get is stored in the Spirit World right now."

"Virgo," Lucy whispered. She didn't realize that she had started crying at the news of her home being destroyed. "You could have been hurt… You didn't have to do that…"

"It's my duty to serve you, Princess," Virgo said with a small smile. "I was able to save your letters, Princess. The box is a little singed, but the letters are safe."

Lucy collapsed, and before she could hit the ground she felt Freed's slender arms wrapping around her. He lowered her to the floor and Lucy curled up against him, gripping his jacket for dear life. "Th-Thank you, Virgo… Thank you so much," Lucy whispered through her tears. She was devastated that her home had been destroyed, but it all disappeared when Virgo said that the one thing she cared most about in her house was safe.

Freed rubbed his hands along her arms, then looked at Makarov. "They know who she is, Master."

"It doesn't take a genius to figure it out," Bickslow said sadly. "Blonde mage, most likely with Fairy Tail since they know you're close to her. Then Ansa took out two of her spirits, so she could have figured out that she's a Celestial mage. You're the only blonde we have, Cosplayer. Even if they didn't figure out your magic, they still could have guessed it was you."

"Freed," Lucy whispered, her body beginning to shake uncontrollably as she realized just how much danger she was in. Lucy had been planning on asking Freed to come over to her house when they left the guild.  _What am I going to do?_

Freed kissed the top of her head and held her tighter. "I told you that I won't let them hurt you, Lucy. You have my word," he whispered softly, "I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."

 _Man, these guys really can't catch a break,_  Laxus thought sourly. First, Freed gets captured and tortured. Then, Lucy saves him and gets hurt in the process. Two panic attacks for Freed in two days. Lucy's house gets destroyed. Laxus looked at the couple on the floor and sighed.  _Most couples wouldn't be able to handle half of what they're going through…_

Freed heard and felt Lucy's breathing change, speed up, and he knew what was about to happen. "Deep breaths, remember?" he whispered soothingly, running his hand over her back. "Just like you told me, deep breaths." He looked up at Virgo and said, "Thank you, Virgo."

She smiled softly again and bowed. "Anything for my Princess."

Lucy tried to listen to Freed's directions. She knew he was right, that she needed to take deep breaths to avoid having a panic attack in the middle of Makarov's office, but it was getting increasingly difficult to make it happen.  _I have nowhere to go… What am I going to do?_

Freed knew he had to do something for her. She was concentrating on breathing, but Lucy was still shaking. He pulled her hands away from his jacket and quickly took it off, wrapping it around her shoulders and pulling her back against him. "It's okay, Lucy. We'll figured this out," he whispered.

Laxus motioned for the rest of their team to head out of the room and grabbed his coat before following behind them. Once he was outside of the office with Evergreen and Bickslow, he whispered, "We need to make sure everyone knows she's fine. When they're ready to go, we'll escort them out." He quietly shut the door and stood off to one side, leaning against the wall in the hallway.

Makarov sat down at his desk, not able to watch Lucy fall apart any longer. He stared at the pile of paperwork he was going to work on before they had come in, and sighed quietly.  _There has to be something we can do,_  he thought.

"Lucy," Freed said when her tremors had almost completely stopped, "Come stay with me until everything has been handled."

Lucy looked up at Freed, her eyes wide in shock. "I… I…"

He smiled sadly and pushed her hair away from her eyes. "It's not safe for either of us to be alone, and it's my fault that you're in danger. Please…"

Lucy laid her head on his chest, taking a lungful of the books-and-darkness scent that she had come to find so comforting, and nodded. "Thank you, Freed."

"Princess," Virgo said softly, kneeling down next to Lucy and Freed, "I will clean everything I was able to salvage and bring it to you later." When Lucy nodded again, Virgo smiled and then disappeared.

Freed wrapped one arm around Lucy's legs and kept the other around her shoulders, then stood up and carried her to the door. Just before reaching it, he saw Laxus open the door and wait for them to come out. Freed turned to Makarov and said, "Lucy will be at my home for the time being, Master. I will be setting up protection runes so that only Fairy Tail mages may enter."

Makarov nodded and watched Freed turn around and leave the office. Once the door was closed, the old master dropped his head to his hands. He was proud of the Raijinshuu for taking Lucy in and accepting her so quickly. He was proud of Lucy for saving Freed's life and bringing him back, and even more proud that she had been able to care for him whenever he needed it. He was proud of Freed for doing the same for Lucy. His children had grown closer and stronger over the course of two days, and he couldn't have been happier for them. The only issue was the reason for it happening. The young Rune mage's father was doing everything in his power to pull the boy back into his clutches. He had threatened Makarov's children, and could have killed Lucy if she hadn't been at the guild helping Freed. He felt his anger boiling inside of him, and fought to control himself.

"Take some time to think about it," Mavis said softly as she appeared sitting on a bookshelf. She had seen what was happening in the guild, but saw no reason to make her presence known. Her pride for the new couple and their team overflowed. She had watched Lucy caring for Freed after he fell asleep in the empty office, and had silently gasped when she saw how sweet Laxus was with the young blonde girl.

"What should we do, First?" Makarov asked.

"Only time will tell."

* * *

Freed walked to his home, carrying a now-sleeping Lucy in his arms, with the Raijinshuu following closely behind him. Laxus had said that they would all be staying in one place, namely Freed's house, until everything settled down. Once they were safely there, Laxus would teleport to his home and grab anything he would need, then go back. After he returned, Evergreen and Bickslow would head to their homes together and do the same.

They all walked inside, and Freed instantly took Lucy upstairs to lay her down in his bed. He settled her under the covers, brushing her hair away from her face, then walked out and closed the door. He made his way back downstairs and walked outside without a word.  _I have to protect her,_  he thought.  _I gave her my word._  He wrote rune after rune of every protection spell he knew, layering the rules over one another and extending the barrier miles into the sky just as he had done during Fantasia. Once he had covered the perimeter of his property, Freed wiped the sweat from his brow and started working on the house itself. He cast the same protection runes that he had used on the perimeter, but changed the rules so only his team would be able to enter. If anyone else in the guild wished to visit, he would have to grant them entry. Freed knew the amount of magic he had used to surround his home would feel oppressive even to Fairy Tail mages, but he wasn't willing to take any chances.

Lucy's eyes shot open and she sat up quickly, screaming until she was hoarse.  _Freed. Where's Freed?!_  She looked around frantically, tears blurring her vision. She felt something over her legs and threw it away from her, then crawled and stumbled to the ground.  _I was on a bed… Where's Freed?!_  Her nightmare still played in her mind, and she was terrified. Lucy looked around again, and realized she was in Freed's bedroom. Her breath came in short pants as she ran to the door and threw it open. She instantly came face-to-face with a bewildered Evergreen and Bickslow, but she pushed them out of her way and ran down the stairs. "Freed… Where's Freed…" she mumbled, looking around the living room and kitchen.

He wasn't there.

She dashed down the hallway to his office and threw the door open. Her nightmare returned when she saw his desk. "Freed!" Lucy shouted. She knew what she was seeing was a figment of her imagination, but it didn't stop her from crying out again and falling to the floor. She could see it all so clearly. Freed was pinned to the wall with his sword jutting from his chest, his hair cut off and there was a long gash across his neck. His face was battered, the bones in his cheeks sticking out of his flesh at odd angles. New lash marks ran across his chest, cutting through his shirt, and the shackles she had found him in that night were secured around his wrists again and pulling his arms up toward the corners of the room. On the wall next to him, written in his blood, was a message:  _"You're next."_

Lucy stared at the room, seeing both the reality in front of her—an empty room—and the nightmare she had flickering back and forth.  _I have to find him._

"Lucy!" Evergreen shouted, rushing to the young blonde's side. She wrapped her arms around the stunned girl, but was thrown to the side.

"Get away from me!" Lucy shouted, completely unaware of the fact that Evergreen was there and trying to comfort her. She crawled backwards across the floor and into the office when she saw two figures in front of her. They were dark shadows, only vaguely humanoid in shape, and they were coming for her. "Please…" she whispered, cowering against the wall. "Leave me alone!"

Bickslow helped Evergreen stand up and steady herself, then told her to get Freed. He carefully walked forward, his babies floating lazily around him, with his hands up and said, "You alright, Cosplayer?"

Lucy's tears were burning hot trails down her cheeks, the recently closed wound in her lips splitting open again. There was a small flicker of reality, where she saw Bickslow carefully walking towards her, but then it disappeared again. "Freed…" she whispered, looking around in the hopes of finding him standing near her. She only saw the image of him pinned to the wall.

"Where is she?" Freed asked, running in from the back door with Evergreen hot on his heels. He saw Bickslow standing in the doorway to his office, his eyes wide and visible even through his visor. He pushed past his friend, and vaguely heard the door close behind him. Lucy sat on the floor against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest and a wild and horrified look in her eyes. Freed dropped his sword to the ground and rushed over to her, trying to pull her into his arms.

"NO!" Lucy screamed, crying harder when she felt arms wrapping around her. "Let go of me!" She didn't want someone to take her away. If Freed was gone, then she wanted to be there with him so he wouldn't be alone. She pushed the arms that were grabbing for her away and crawled into the closest corner. Once she felt safe again, she whispered the one name she cared about hearing. "Freed…"

He followed after her, utterly at a loss for what to do. "It's me, Lucy. I'm here," he whispered urgently.

She heard his voice.  _Freed!_  Lucy looked around the room again, searching frantically for him. Over and over, she heard his voice, and it sounded as if it was getting closer. She whimpered when a shape appeared in front of her, cowering away from it. "I want Freed…" Lucy whispered hoarsely.

Freed cupped her face in his hands, putting his own in her line of sight. "I'm right here, Lucy. Look at me. You're safe, I promise." Her small whisper had filled him with some emotion he couldn't describe, but she still looked so scared. So lost.

"Freed…" Lucy whispered again. She looked down and saw his red jacket was still wrapped around her. She looked up at the wall and saw that he wasn't wearing his jacket.  _They got him while I was sleeping…_  "I'm sorry…" Lucy cried out, still staring at the bloody image of Freed. "I'm so sorry…"

Freed forced her to look back at him, and brushed her hair from her face. "Lucy, look at me. I'm here. Right here in front of you."

She heard him again, felt the figure in front of her turn her away from the body on the wall.  _"I'm here."_ Lucy felt a small pulse of magic that wasn't hers travel into her left eye, and she quickly covered it. It sent a shock through her head and when she blinked she couldn't see the image of Freed on the wall anymore. The blood was gone. She blinked again. Freed was sitting in front of her, his hands cupping her face. He was worried, but there was something else in his eyes that Lucy didn't take any time to decipher. "Freed!" she shouted, lunging forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. She sobbed as she held him. "You're okay… They didn't hurt you…"

Freed took a shaking breath and pulled her into his lap, laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm fine, Lucy."

"I w-was so s-scared," she said softly. Lucy was surrounded by him, his jacket on her shoulders, his arms holding her tightly to him, his hair covering her eyes, and her nose pressed to his neck. "I th-thought that I l-lost you…" She broke down again, her body wracked with sobs once more.

"Shh, I'm here. You didn't lose me," Freed whispered.

"But… you w-were… dead… and I…"

Freed shook his head and pulled her hand up to kiss her knuckles. "I promise, Lucy. I'm fine. I'm here now, and there's nothing to worry about." He held her while the rest of her tears fell, and when she had finally stopped shaking, he carefully lifted her gaze to meet his. "Better?" he whispered, running a thumb across her cheeks.

Lucy nodded and jumped when the door to the office burst open, squealing and curling back into Freed's chest.

"Laxus! I told you not to go rushing in there!" Evergreen shouted angrily from behind the blond man.

"What happened?" Laxus asked firmly.

Freed sighed and shrugged. He brushed a hand through Lucy's hair and whispered, "It's just Laxus. It's okay, Lucy."

"I had a n-nightmare…" Lucy whispered in answer to Laxus' question. "They got to Freed while I was sleeping…" Lucy took a shaky breath, soothed by Freed's fingers running through her hair again and again. "They killed him and wrote that I was n-next on the wall in his blood…"

"Lucy," Laxus said softly, taking slow and careful steps closer to the couple on the floor. Once he was next to them, he crouched down and said, "We're not gonna let anyone hurt you guys, okay?" When Lucy nodded, Laxus looked back at Evergreen and motioned for her to come into the room. "Ever, help her get upstairs so she can take a bath. It'll help her relax."

Evergreen nodded and crouched down next to Lucy and Freed. "Come on, Lucy. You'll feel better after a bath." She helped the scared girl get up and slowly led her up the stairs.


	7. Touch-a Touch Me

Evergreen sat on the floor next to Lucy while she bathed. The poor girl didn't want to be left alone, and Evergreen completely understood why. She had been so worried for Lucy when she ran past them out of Freed's room, and her cries for him only broke the Fairy mage's heart. When Evergreen had rushed out of the house to find Freed, she had only to look at him before he was rushing inside. He could tell something was wrong.

"Ever," Lucy said, turning slowly to face her friend, "Do you think I'm crazy?"

Evergreen's eyebrows shot together in confusion. "No. Why do you ask?"

Lucy sighed, dunked her head under the water for a moment and when she resurfaced she said, "Because I freaked out. I knew it wasn't real at first. I kept seeing the room flickering back and forth between what was there and my nightmare. Then all I could see was my nightmare…" She looked back at Evergreen and said, "Were you the one that tried to help me?"

Evergreen smiled sadly and nodded. "Yeah, but you threw me halfway across the house."

Lucy flinched and whispered, "I'm sorry…"

Evergreen put up her hand and smiled. "No harm, no foul. I understand. You were scared and you couldn't tell that I was trying to help you. But, Freed's alright and you're alright, so there's nothing to worry about." She looked at Lucy for a second then said, "You really care about him, huh?"

Lucy blushed and nodded. She rested her arms against the edge of the tub and laid her head on them, a wistful smile on her face. "Promise you won't tell anyone? Even Bickslow and Laxus?"

Evergreen blushed and nodded with a smile on her face. "I promise. Girl-talk is sacred."

Lucy and Evergreen giggled for a second then Lucy whispered, "I think I'm really falling for him." When Evergreen just stared at her wide-eyed, Lucy covered her face with her hands.

Evergreen shook herself out of her shocked stupor and pulled Lucy's hands away, smiling. "So, what's so bad about that?"

Lucy sighed and said, "We haven't been together that long, and—"

"Lucy," Evergreen said sternly. Her eyes softened once she got the girl's attention. "Do you know how long it took for me to realize I loved Elfman?"

"You and Elfman? Seriously?!" Lucy asked, her mouth hanging open. "I thought you hated his guts!"

Evergreen giggled. "We're not together, but I know I love him. He's just 'too manly' to realize it." The girls burst out in another fit of giggles at the brunette's Elfman impression.

"How long did it take?" Lucy asked with a sweet smile.

"Five minutes."

 _Did she just… Wha—huh—how?!_  Lucy sat there and blinked. Then blinked again.

Evergreen chuckled lightly. "It doesn't have to be some long drawn-out escapade. When you fall in love, you fall in love. Whether it's five minutes or five years. It's all the same in the end."

"Well…" Lucy thought for a minute. There was no way for her to describe how terrified and overjoyed she was at the thought of loving Freed. Her fear won out when she thought of trying to tell him how she felt. "So, if I  _do_  love him… what do I do?" she whispered.

Evergreen sighed and shrugged. "I have no idea, Lulu."

"Lulu?" Lucy asked with a giddy smile.

Evergreen blushed and started stuttering, "Well… I just… You… and then I…" Her head finally dropped in defeat as she couldn't figure out what to say.

Lucy giggled and said, "The only person that's ever called me Lulu is Aquarius. I like it!"

Evergreen lifted her head up, a hopeful look in her eyes and said, "You don't mind?"

Lucy shook her head quickly, grinning like crazy. "Nope! I mean, I call you Ever. You should have a nickname for me too!" After a minute of comfortable silence, Lucy said, "If I really love him then I should tell him right? But, isn't it too soon?"

Evergreen sighed again. "I've known Freed for a very long time, and I've never seen him look at  _anyone_  the way he looks at you. I don't know if he loves you, but I do know that he cares about you. The way he freaked out this morning over that threat to your life let everyone know that he cares."

Lucy still had no clue what to do. She thought over what Laxus had told her about being in love and what it was like. She still didn't know why Freed even wanted to be with her, but there was never a good time to talk to him about it. Whenever they were together, they were happy. Lucy never wanted to interrupt those happy moments by bringing up her insecurity. "Ugh, this is so confusing…" she grumbled.

Evergreen giggled and nodded. "I know. I think we have it much worse than guys. Sure, they worry about making a wrong move, whether or not things are going too fast, and their feelings for us… But, we end up running through fifteen thousand scenarios before we do something, and end up freaking out over it!"

Lucy grinned. "Oh, Ever," she said dramatically, leaning over the edge of the tub, "You know my pain so well!" Her mood had been considerably lightened by Evergreen's presence, and Lucy was finally starting to feel normal again. She sighed happily after they stopped laughing. "I think I'm gonna stop worrying so much about all the little things. Aquarius said that if something feels right, then I should go with it."

Evergreen agreed wholeheartedly. "You should. Your heart and your gut won't steer you wrong. Besides, I'm sure Freed is willing to take things slow."

Lucy blushed a very deep shade of crimson. "Well…"

"Oh. My. Mavis," Evergreen nearly shouted, a grin spreading across her face. "What did you do?!"

Lucy sunk down into the water until her nose was just barely above the surface, then shook her head.

"Aww, tell me Lulu! Pleaseeeee!" Evergreen put her hands together and begged so comically that Lucy couldn't help but spill the beans. When the blonde resurfaced, Evergreen pumped her hand into the air triumphantly.

Lucy rolled her eyes, smiling at the brunette she had befriended. "We may have gotten a little physical when he calmed down earlier…"

Evergreen leaned forward, ready to hear every juicy detail. "Well, come on."

"Well… Um…" Lucy blushed again. "I couldn't get him to relax, so I may have straddled him and kissed him… Then, when he finally stopped panicking, I just had this urge to touch him and make sure he was alright. I opened his jacket and his shirt… Man does he have some nice muscles…" Lucy paused, then covered her face with her hands. She wasn't going to leave anything out, so she kept going. "Then he grabbed my ass and pinned me to the couch while we made out."

Evergreen was speechless. Who would have thought that the reserved and by-the-book Freed Justine was capable of doing something like that? Definitely not her. "You look like there's more, Lucy."

Lucy nodded and dropped her hands, laying her head on her arms again. "Things got pretty intense. We were grinding on each other, and I felt every bit of him… Oh man, this is embarrassing!"

Evergreen smirked at Lucy and said, "So, what's Freed working with?"

"EVER!" Lucy blushed again. "I'm not going there…"

"Well, based on how red you are, I'm going to assume he's doing pretty well for himself," Evergreen said with a shrug. "Then what happened?"

Lucy pulled her hair away from her neck and showed Evergreen the marks he'd left on her earlier. "I may have gotten him pretty riled up. My lips split open again, but neither of us really cared at that point. But, he did slow down and told me that if I said to stop he would," Lucy mused. "He said that I'm the first person to ever get close to him. Then we took our time, just kissing and… then I let him touch my chest!" Lucy blushed again and covered her face.

"Oh wow," Evergreen said softly. She regained her composure and said, "Sounds like you've got it bad…"

Lucy nodded shyly.

"Well, you wanna know what I think?" Evergreen asked. When Lucy dropped her hands with a hopeful look in her eyes, Evergreen smiled. "I think that whenever you guys decide to go all the way, it won't be too soon. You already really care about him, and he cares about you. Most guys wouldn't be able to stop themselves in the middle of something like that, and the fact that he did and gave you all the power when it comes to moving to the next step shows that he really trusts you and your judgment."

"I know he'll be ready whenever I am… I kind of asked him hypothetically what would happen if I was ready right then… Let's just say he made it very clear how he felt about it," Lucy said with a lecherous smirk.

"See? So, there's nothing to worry about. Anyone who says that you guys are moving too quickly is just stupid," Evergreen said haughtily. "It's none of their business anyway."

"You're amazing, Ever."

Evergreen grinned at the blonde. "So are you, Lulu."

Lucy felt a shiver run through her and realized her bath had finally gone cold. She pulled the plug and stood up, wrapping a towel around her. Lucy and Evergreen walked happily into Freed's bedroom and then Lucy blushed. "Um… I don't have any spare clothes." She picked up Virgo's key and summoned her, thankful that the spirit arrived with a pair of stretchy yoga pants and a tank top, along with some undergarments. Lucy got dressed, not caring that Evergreen was still in the room, and put her hair in a messy bun before the two walked arm-in-arm down the stairs.

* * *

All five mages spent the rest of the day together. They had lunch, then Bickslow and Evergreen went to get their belongings from their houses while Lucy did some meditating, Laxus took a nap, and Freed started reading. Once they were back, it was time for dinner, so Lucy dragged Evergreen into the kitchen and they cooked together. After dinner, Laxus and Bickslow decided to watch a movie while Evergreen and Lucy went outside to talk. Freed, of course, picked up his book from earlier.

Freed looked up from his book to see Lucy and Evergreen smiling happily when they came back inside. He had tuned out the noise of the movie that Laxus and Bickslow were watching to focus on reading more about runes, but once Lucy came into the room all of the noise he had been ignoring came back. She walked over to him, marked the page he was on and closed the book. After setting it on the table, Lucy draped her legs over his and curled up in his lap.

"Hey," Lucy whispered as she pulled some of his hair towards her to play with. She smiled when he placed a soft kiss on her lips, but was pulled out of her happy thoughts by Bickslow.

"I still don't get why he's in a corset!" Bickslow shouted.

Laxus groaned and rolled his eyes. "Because he is, Bix. Just watch the movie…"

Lucy giggled and looked over at the screen. "You're kidding me… You guys are  _seriously_  watching this?"

Laxus and Bickslow blushed, Evergreen giggled, and Freed finally realized what they were watching and chuckled. "These two  _love_  this movie," Evergreen said happily. "I'm pretty sure they know all the words to the songs, too!"

"No I don't!" Laxus and Bickslow shouted.

Lucy grinned evilly and started singing, "I'm just a Sweet Transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania."

Everyone's eyes widened, then Evergreen grinned and started singing along. She had been forced to watch this damn movie enough times to know the songs, and now she had someone on her side to make them pay. She watched Lucy stand up and start slowly walking towards the couch, and Evergreen jumped up to stand next to her. They kept singing, and were finally hovering over Laxus and Bickslow who had shocked expressions on their faces.

Lucy reached down and stole the remote from Laxus, finally pausing the movie. As soon as the sound died, right in the middle of the song, she and Evergreen stared at the two men on the couch.

Laxus looked at Bickslow, then shrugged and both men belted out "I'm just a Sweet Transvestite from Transexual, Transylvania."

Lucy and Evergreen jumped up and down and giggled with glee. "I told you!" Evergreen shouted.

The two girls sat back down, Evergreen on the couch and Lucy back in Freed's lap, then the movie started back up. "Well, that was different," Freed whispered with a light chuckle.

They all sat in silence for the rest of the movie, until a certain scene came on that had both Lucy and Freed blushing. The lead actress was seducing the science experiment named Rocky, and the song she was singing wasn't helping. Lucy grinned internally and leaned back to whisper the lyrics to Freed, curious to see what he would do once he heard them from her.

 _Now all I want to know is how to go_  
I've tasted blood and I want more  
I'll put up no resistance, I want to stay the distance  
I've got an itch to scratch, I need assistance

Freed shivered when Lucy leaned in to whisper to him, her breath seemingly sending a jolt straight to his groin. Then she actually started to quietly sing the song that was playing. A deep blush colored his cheeks, much worse than when that scene had started, and his grip on her waist tightened slightly. He had no clue what she was planning, but that darker part of him really wanted to find out.

 _Toucha toucha toucha touch me, I wanna be dirty_  
Thrill me chill me fulfil me  
Creature of the night.

Once she finished the chorus, Lucy licked the shell of Freed's ear and heard him stop breathing for a moment. The movie was loud enough that Laxus didn't seem to notice what was going on when she glanced over at the couch, and luckily Bickslow and Evergreen had already fallen asleep. Lucy slowly uncurled herself from Freed's lap and walked up the stairs, stealing a small glance behind her to wink at him before disappearing.

"You'd better go after her," Laxus said, looking over at a very shocked Freed who was frozen in place. "Pretty sure she needs your help with something. Don't worry, I'll put on an action movie after this is done." He smirked, then turned back to fully immerse himself in the film, drowning out all other noise for the sake of keeping his food down.

Lucy quickly made her way to Freed's room once she got to the top of the stairs. She left his door open, but grabbed a random shirt from his closet and locked herself in the bathroom. While she changed, Lucy took several deep breaths to calm her nerves. She was ready to at least move forward a little bit in their relationship. A lot had happened in the last couple of days, and somehow it made her willing to accept the advice of her friends.  _We're not going all the way,_  Lucy told herself. She definitely didn't feel ready for that, and probably wouldn't until everything with Freed's father finally calmed down. When she and Freed were able to finally feel like things were normal, then she could consider that last step. She had done a lot of thinking from the time she got out of the bath until after dinner, and decided that she really did love him. It was sudden, and strange, and the part of her that still clung to the ideals of her old life kept saying it wasn't love, but…  _It feels right._  She gave herself a little once-over in the mirror, and smirked when she undid one extra button on the top to reveal just a little more of her chest. One last deep breath, and she opened the door to the bedroom.

Freed's mind was reeling as he climbed the stairs. He didn't know what Lucy was up to, but if the song she had whispered to him was any indication then he would be having an interesting night. He got to the top of the stairs and saw that his bedroom door was open. Freed walked in and closed the door, and saw that Lucy was nowhere to be seen. There was a small sliver of light coming from under the bathroom door, so he decided to just get ready for bed. Once Freed had changed, placing his clothes from the day on a chair and dressing in a pair of pajama pants, he sat down on the bed. It wasn't long before the bathroom door opened, revealing a blushing Lucy in a light blue dress shirt that made his throat go completely dry.

Lucy walked over and sat down on the bed, putting her legs underneath the blankets, then turned to Freed. She looked at him innocently and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Freed nodded, trying to keep himself from jumping on top of her.

Lucy smirked internally when she saw how tense Freed was as he tried to keep himself under control. She slid down to lay her head on her pillow, smiling as he did the same, then rolled over to face him. "You know, I was thinking about something," Lucy whispered, moving closer to lay her head on his shoulder.

Freed instantly wrapped his arm around her, and nearly groaned when she started tracing the scars on his chest. When he trusted his voice, he said, "What were you thinking about?"

Lucy's hand traveled a little lower to his stomach, circling around his belly button, then tracing the waistband of his pants. She giggled when his breathing changed and his arm tightened around her. Slowly, Lucy leaned up to whisper in Freed's ear. "I was thinking we could try something different." Before he could respond, Lucy nibbled on his earlobe, then kissed and licked her way down Freed's neck until she found a sensitive spot right above his collarbone.

Freed's breathing quickened, but he held himself still. Lucy moaned against his skin and started to suck on the spot she had found, then threw one leg over to straddle him. "L-Lucy?" he rasped, his hands instantly going to her hips.

"Mmm," Lucy moaned again, barely rolling her hips and smirking when Freed's grip on her tightened for a second. She leaned up to look into his eyes, already darkened with lust, and said, "You taste delicious." Lucy carefully leaned down to hover just above Freed's lips, and smiled at him while her hands ghosted over his exposed torso.

Freed's hands were itching to move, but he held himself in place. He groaned when Lucy's tongue darted out to flick across his lips, and when he moved to capture hers and finally press her body against him, she pulled away and pushed his chest down forcefully onto the bed. His body tensed when she sat up completely, her core pressing down on his already hardened member, and he watched her hands move as if they were in slow motion. He glanced up at her face and saw a light blush across her cheeks, but her eyes stayed locked onto his face. When he looked back at her hands, they were very carefully pushing the buttons through the shirt, revealing a black lace bra and then the creamy expanse of her taut stomach. His breath hitched as his eyes devoured every inch of her exposed skin.

Lucy blushed again when she saw Freed's eyes traveling hungrily down her body, then lock onto her hands as she touched the last button. She stopped, and smiled as she pulled Freed's hands from her hips to place them where her hands had just been. When Lucy pulled her hands away, she saw the surprise in his face as he looked back up to meet her eyes. She nodded, then felt his fingers quickly push the button through the hole, and the shirt fall completely open.

Matching black lace. Freed could have died right then and been a happy man. Lucy was absolutely gorgeous. He took in the sight of her in nothing more than his opened shirt and skimpy undergarments, and fought every urge in his body to stay still. His hands dropped down to rest on her knees until she let him know what she wanted.

Lucy nervously bit the uninjured portion of her lip and let Freed's shirt slide down her arms before throwing it off into the room. She watched with amusement as his eyes widened, then followed the path of his shirt and returned to her. Lucy timidly grabbed his hands and placed them back on her hips, moaning softly when his thumbs moved in slow circles over her skin. "So, I've been thinking," Lucy said softly.

"Wh-What have you… been thinking about?" Freed asked, his voice lower than usual.

Lucy smiled lovingly at him. "I'm not ready for everything," she started, her heart blooming with warmth when he nodded, "But…"

He waited for her to finish, and when he couldn't wait any longer, Freed whispered, "But?"

Lucy smirked, lowering herself until her lips were hovering just above his again and her chest pressed tightly to his. "But, I'm ready for more."

Freed looked into Lucy's eyes. He saw a hint of anxiety, but mostly excitement. She wanted this, wanted him. She told him that she wanted more, but wasn't ready for everything and he was perfectly fine with that. He just needed to know one thing. "How much more?"

Lucy grinned at him, letting go of the last of her anxiety. "I guess we'll find out, Freed," she whispered, then lowered her lips onto his.

* * *

Evergreen and Bickslow woke up to the sounds of cars crashing. The looked over to see Laxus fully engrossed in the new film, so they sat up and stretched.

"You guys might not wanna go up there," Laxus said with a grimace.

"Huh?" Bickslow asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He looked at Evergreen to see if she knew what Laxus was talking about and noticed a blush creeping across her cheeks.

Laxus sighed, then handed them some spare pillows and blankets. "Trust me. I already grabbed you guys some shit to sleep in. We're sleeping down here tonight."

Evergreen got up and grabbed her pile of clothes, then went to the bathroom to change. When she came back, Bickslow still looked confused and tired, so she leaned down and whispered, "Lucy and Freed are upstairs."

Bickslow stood up, rubbing his eyes again. "That doesn't explain why I can't sleep upstairs…" he grumbled as he walked into the bathroom to change. He came back not a minute later with wide eyes looking from Laxus to Evergreen and back. "You're shitting me!"

Laxus smirked and Evergreen blushed again. Finally, Laxus said, "Nope, she took him up there during Janet's song to Rocky."

"Holy shit," Bickslow said as he sat down on the couch again. "Go Cosplayer…"

Evergreen rolled her eyes at the Seith mage. "It's not like that, Bickslow…"

All three mages looked up at the ceiling of the living room just as the movie quieted down for a second, and heard a distinctly feminine moan. Laxus chuckled and said, "Well, not  _entirely_ …" Even though he had been ignoring everything he could from upstairs, he heard Lucy talking when he was changing movies.  _"I'm not ready for everything. But I'm ready for more."_  He knew it was only a matter of time before she realized that a relationship didn't have to be about set time-frames, that it was more about feeling close enough to the person to allow that kind of intimacy. At least, when it came to a real relationship.

* * *

Freed's hands were finally free to move across her body, and he did just that once her lips touched his. They smoothed down her thighs then back up and around to her rear, squeezing slightly and earning a whimper from the beautiful blonde on top of him. His tongue flicked across her lips and they instantly parted, allowing him to dive inside. Lucy's hands tangled in his hair, tilting his head to deepen the kiss further. He groaned as she lightly tugged on his hair, and his hands slid up the curve of her back and back down, pushing under the small amount of fabric to feel her bare skin.

Lucy's body felt like it was on fire, and the heat radiated from low in her belly and rushed through her veins like lava. Every touch from Freed's hands sent a ripple of pleasure running through her. Lucy's hips started to slowly move over him, her hands gliding down his neck to his shoulders. She broke away from the kiss and panted while nibbling on his jaw, then moved lower and kissed his neck. She gasped when Freed's grip on her tightened and pushed her a little more forcefully against him while his hips bucked against her. When he did it a second time, she moaned against his skin.

It was absolute torture for him. Every move she made, every small sound that vibrated through her lips and into him, only had Freed wanting more. He moved one hand up and around to palm her breast through her bra, and groaned when her nipple immediately hardened under his thumb. Without thinking, Freed rolled them over and started sucking and licking down Lucy's neck and onto her chest. Just before he reached the swell of her breasts, he felt her shift slightly and reach her hand behind her. There was a small rustle of fabric, then he felt Lucy's bra slide out from between them and her hardened nipples grazing against his chest. He teased her with his hands, reveling in the moans she let out as he pinched and rolled her nipples between his fingers. He looked up through his lashes to see a healthy blush on her cheeks and met her eyes as he lowered his mouth over one pert peak.

Lucy's back arched at the sensation of Freed's tongue sweeping across her nipple, and she let out a long moan while her hands tangled in his hair to pull him closer. He took his time with her, one hand massaging her breast while his mouth worked the other. His free hand slid down to her hip and pushed under her panties again to rub his thumb along her hip. Lucy couldn't help but watch as Freed let her nipple go with a small pop, then blew on the wet skin causing it to pucker further, ripping another moan from her. He had stopped grinding against her when he moved down to her chest, and an ache had started to build between her legs, making her feel restless.

Freed trailed kisses across her chest and took her other nipple into his mouth, making sure to give it the same attention. He held only the smallest sliver of his control in his grasp with how Lucy was moaning beneath him, and it nearly slipped when her legs wrapped around his hips and roughly pushed him against her. He groaned, and felt her tense up. When he stole a glance at her face, Freed saw surprise then curiosity flash through her. He quickly found out what she was curious about when her legs pulled him against her again and he groaned.

"Don't stop," Lucy whispered, her head falling back as she let the sensations overwhelm her. Freed shot up from her chest to capture her lips in another searing kiss, moaning against her lips while he rubbed himself more forcefully against her center. It wasn't long before Lucy decided she wanted to keep going. She knew Freed would stop whenever she asked, even if it left him frustrated and in need of some care afterwards. She pulled away from the kiss and whispered, "Wait."

Freed instantly stopped, though his entire body was rebelling and screaming out that he needed to continue. Freed rested his head on Lucy's shoulder, trying to get his breathing under control.

"Do you trust me?" Lucy asked quietly.

Freed nodded, and kissed her neck tenderly. "With my life, Lucy."

"And you care about me?" she prodded, running her hands through his hair.

Freed nodded again, lifting his head to look her in the eye. "I do."

Lucy bit her lip nervously for a moment, thinking and rethinking whether or not she wanted to continue.

Freed lifted his hand from her hip and pushed Lucy's hair away from her face, then traced the outline of the transparent eye patch. "We don't have to keep going, Lucy. We can stop if you'd like."

It finally clicked in Lucy's mind, the last piece that made her ready to go through with it. Her anxiety left her instantly and she shook her head at Freed with a small smile on her face. Lucy reached over to his hand that was still cupping her cheek and laced their fingers together. She pressed a soft kiss to the palm of his hand, then started to move it lower.

Chin. Neck. Chest. Stomach. Freed kept his eyes locked on Lucy's while she moved his hand further and further down her body, his fingers skimming over her glistening skin. She paused for the briefest of moments when his fingers touched the top of her panties, just long enough for his eyes to widen and his throat to constrict, then pushed his hand the rest of the way until he was cupping her center. Freed's fingers twitched, and he marveled at how her breath caught in her throat. "Are you sure?" he whispered.

Lucy smiled softly and nodded, then pulled Freed down into a tender kiss. Freed's fingers tentatively moved over her clothed center, and she whimpered at the contact. The ache that had been growing inside of her had finally started to lessen, and as Freed grew more confident in his strokes Lucy felt a coil winding up in her belly.

Freed smirked when he felt the small bundle of nerves and flicked his finger lightly over it, causing Lucy to go rigid for a second and then moan into their kiss. He pushed on it and rubbed small slow circles that had her writhing beneath him. He moved from between Lucy's legs to lay on her side and picked up the pace just a little.

Lucy pulled away from the kiss, rolling her hips and panting heavily. "Oh, Freed," she moaned. Freed leaned down and captured her nipple in his mouth again, and Lucy's back arched when his tongue matched every movement of his fingers against her. She rolled her hips again and again, and when she couldn't take it anymore, she leaned down and quickly pulled away the last of her clothing.

Freed's head shot up when Lucy leaned forward and he stared in awe as she ripped away her panties, throwing them violently across the room before laying back on the bed. She grabbed his hand before he could move it too far away from her and placed it back at her weeping core. Freed eyed her naked body hungrily, her flaring hips, light blonde curls just above her slit, and heaving chest had him hardening more than he thought possible. He looked back up at her face and saw that same light blush and lust-filled eyes that he never wanted to forget. "You're so beautiful," Freed whispered, leaning back down to kiss her gently while his fingers started to brush over her slit.

Freed moved slowly with her, brushing over her golden curls and barely grazing that tiny engorged bundle before circling her entrance. Lucy's body was tight with anticipation as she wondered what it was going to be like. Her body was lighting up, nerves that she had never even realized were there had started to flare with pleasure. When it had become unbearable, Lucy whimpered, "Please…"

"Please what, Lucy?" Freed rasped in her ear, his finger rubbing against her entrance ready to push inside of her.

Lucy whimpered again, her hips moving to try and show him what she wanted. When nothing worked she moaned pleadingly, "Please touch me, Freed."

Freed nibbled on her ear as his finger slowly pushed inside of her, pulling back a little and pushing in again until she was gripping his finger like a vice. He let her adjust, circling his finger inside of her and making her moan again and again. When Lucy rolled her hips, he slowly pulled back and set a slow pace, lightly kissing her neck and collarbones.

The coil in Lucy's belly wound tighter and tighter, though it moved slowly as if it was unsure of what to do. Lucy gasped when she felt Freed pull away from her, only to be more invaded when he pushed two fingers into her and started moving more quickly. "Oh, Freed!" Lucy nearly shouted, turning slightly and burying her head in the crook of his neck. Her hands shakily moved across his chest while she panted and writhed, his name falling from her lips between pants. Before she could think about it and convince herself otherwise, Lucy's hand pushed under his pants and boxers and wrapped around his hardened length. She gasped when she felt his smooth skin stretched over such hardness, and her fingers couldn't even reach all the way around him.

Freed grunted then took a shaky breath when Lucy's dainty hand closed over him. His fingers slammed into her heat, circling around once they were fully sheathed before pulling back and repeating. Her breath ghosted over his heated flesh, and then she started to move her hand. Freed's hips rocked slightly, pushing further into her hand and his breath hitched when he pulled back and her thumb brushed over the tip.

Lucy gained more confidence when she heard Freed start groaning. Every pass of her thumb over the tip of his manhood had him shuddering, making her want to hear what other noises she could get him to make. Her curiosity was quashed for the time being when Freed's thumb pushed against her clit and drew quicker circles than before. The coil inside of her wound tighter and faster than before, and she had no clue what to expect. Lucy had read plenty of romance novels—courtesy of Erza and Levy—but she didn't know how much of those stories was exaggeration and how much was true.

Freed felt her walls tightening against his fingers, fluttering slightly. Lucy's breathing changed, came in shorter bursts, and she pulled her hand back to hold tightly to the waistband of his pants. His name was the only word to pass her lips when she was able to manage more than a breath, and it only made him speed up, pushing into her harder and faster than before.

Lucy leaned into Freed as she finally reached the peak just before her climax. She was wound so tightly that she felt like she would burst. He leaned down, pulling her chest tightly to his and threw her over the edge with three words.

"Cum for me," he rasped. Lucy's entire body froze, tensing in every muscle before her head flew back with wide eyes and she screamed his name. His fingers slowed until he was drawing slow, lazy circles inside of her while he body continued to spasm, her core attempting to milk them dry. Freed slowly pulled his fingers from her, and raised them to his mouth to lick her juices away. He groaned softly when they touched his tongue, that flavor that was completely unique to the woman in his arms exploding across his taste buds.

Lucy didn't know when her eyes had closed, but she smiled as she was enveloped in Freed's arms in the aftermath of her orgasm. Her limbs felt like jelly, though she still held onto him.  _Turns out most of those books were right,_  she thought lazily. He tipped her head back and kissed her softly, and she melted against him even more. That was when Lucy felt his hard length pressing against her. Lucy pulled back and smirked at Freed before lowering her hand to his waistband again. "Freed," Lucy whispered, "Is there something I can help you with?"

Freed kissed Lucy again, refusing to let his body get too excited by what she had asked him, and shook his head. "You don't have to do anything, Lucy."

Lucy pouted. "Hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to do something for you… what would you want me to do?"

Freed's eyes nearly bugged out at her question. He stuttered and tried to find something to say. "W-Well… I… Um…"

Lucy giggled when she saw the dark blush staining Freed's cheeks. He had been like a different person while they were intimate, and as soon as things calmed down, he was back to being shy. "How about I figure out what you want? Like an experiment," she purred. "You like experiments, don't you, Freed?"

Freed nodded slowly, his mouth hanging open. Lucy's finger traced his scars lightly, making shivers run down his spine.

Lucy rolled him over until he was laying on his back and smiled sweetly at him. "Then, would you let me do a little experiment?" She batted her eyelashes for effect, and giggled when he nodded at her. Lucy straddle his hips, hovering over him so he couldn't grind against her. She kissed him tenderly, and made her way down to his chest. Lucy's hands trailed over his abs while she kissed and licked the scars that littered his torso, leaving small marks in her wake when she found a particularly sensitive area.

Freed watched in awe as Lucy moved slowly down his body, her breasts barely grazing his skin as she went. He groaned when her hand reached down to stroke him through his clothes, and when she moaned in response it rushed through him and caused him to twitch against her hand. Freed sucked in a sharp breath when she let his member go and tucked her fingers into the waistband of his pants and boxers.

Lucy looked up into Freed's eyes and saw lust and longing as he stared back at her. She smiled as she nipped at his hips then sat up. "Tell me to stop, and I will," she whispered huskily as she slowly pulled his clothes off of him.

"I won't," he replied, his words barely more than a breath. He shivered as he sprung free, the cooler air in the room heating his body up more. Once he was completely bare, Lucy bit her lip as she eyed all of him. He saw a small smile lift the corners of her mouth before her hand wrapped around his shaft, and she leaned forward lowering her mouth to his.

The kiss was soft at first, but as Lucy started stroking Freed's impressive member, his tongue dove into her mouth. She squeezed him lightly, and found that he liked the extra pressure based on his hands moving up to gently tease her breasts and how roughly he thrust into her hand. "Mmm," Lucy whispered when she pulled away from the kiss. She leaned down next to his ear, listening to his labored breathing, and picked up the pace slightly. "I think phase one of my experiment is done, Freed." She nibbled on the shell of his ear, then lightly brushed her nose down the column of his throat; her hand never lost its grip or pace as she kept stroking him.

Freed groaned again when she moved back down his body, and his eyes widened when her lips were hovering over him. "... Lucy?" he whispered, unable to believe what he was seeing. He hadn't thought that she would be willing to go this far when she mentioned wanting more, but he was definitely not going to deny her.

Lucy smirked then licked the small slit on the tip of him. She watched his eyes close and his head fall back, his abs tightening deliciously while he tried to control himself. "Time for phase two," she whispered, her breath hitting the moistened area. Lucy tried to recall everything she had ever read in all of those romance novels about blowjobs, and hoped that she could use a few to make this really enjoyable for Freed. She leaned down, slowing her stroking with her hand, and licked the vein that ran from his base to the tip. When Freed shuddered and roughly grabbed the sheets beneath him, she did it again, closing her lips on the skin until she reached the tip, then flicking her tongue across it quickly.

"Oh God," Freed whispered. The feel of her lips gliding against him was heavenly, and he gasped when her tongue circled around his flared head. Then she took just the head into her mouth and moaned when their eyes met. His body wanted so badly to push further into that wet cavern that he knew so well, but he fought the urge and gripped the sheets tighter. His head fell back against the pillows when she flicked her tongue across him, her hand still slowly pumping the rest of his shaft.

Lucy's free hand slid up Freed's toned thigh, her nails lightly dragging across the skin. She decided it was time to stop torturing him, and carefully took him as far into her mouth as she could manage. She pulled back up, sucking her cheeks in until she reached his tip, then circled it with her tongue before slamming back down until he hit her throat.

"Ngh… Lucy," Freed grunted. She pulled up slowly and slammed back down over and over again, and he could already feel his body tightening. She moaned again when he was sheathed as far as she could manage in her mouth, and his hips bucked when those vibrations ran through him. Lucy squeaked, and pulled her mouth away for a moment, but before he could say anything her hand stroked his full length and spread her saliva further down onto his shaft. He carefully thrust into her hand and didn't stop when she lowered her mouth to him again. "Don't stop..."

Lucy wrapped her lips tightly around him, and picked up the pace a little bit. She lightly nipped at the flared head before plunging back down, reveling in the noises that spilled from Freed's mouth. She felt the thick vein begin to pulse and noticed how Freed's breathing started coming quicker.  _Time to make a decision,_  she thought. A small voice piped up in her mind and wondered just what Freed tasted like, which only made Lucy moan again and start bobbing quicker.

Freed knew he was close, and his hands released the sheets to tangle in Lucy's hair. She was driving him mad, and he couldn't form any words from the torture she was inflicting on him. He loved every second of it, her hot mouth surrounding him, her tongue flicking and swirling sensually, even when she grazed her teeth over him. He was panting, covered in sweat, and ready to explode. "Lucy… I'm… Ngh…"

Lucy quickly decided what she would do once she heard him. She looked up into his eyes. And winked.

That wink threw him over the edge, and he roughly grabbed Lucy's hair and thrust into her mouth, filling it with his seed and moaning her name loudly. Lucy's hand slowed and coaxed every drop out of him, her tongue licking every bit of his climax away while his body shook. His grip on her hair loosened and he started to carefully run his fingers through it before she ran off into the bathroom like he knew she would. When she moaned with her mouth still wrapped around him, Freed shivered and responded with a moan of his own.

Lucy pulled her mouth away from Freed and made sure she had licked every remnant of his release off of him. She sat up and smirked when he looked at her through half-lidded eyes.  _I like it,_  had been the very first thought that popped into her head when she tasted him. It was tangy and salty, but slightly sweet, and she really enjoyed the taste. Lucy leaned forward, crawling up Freed's body until she was hovering over his face, then she swallowed.

Freed's eyes went wide, a light blush dusting across his cheeks. He watched her slowly lick her lips and heard a soft moan escape her before he pulled her down into a kiss. His tongue shot into her mouth, not caring that he could taste himself there, and his hands slowly moved up her body. He pulled Lucy close to him and molded their bodies to one another. He rolled onto his side and kept Lucy close to him while their kiss became less heated. When they finally pulled away, he couldn't help but mirror the smile that sat on her beautiful lips as he rested his forehead against hers.

Lucy giggled as she looked into those deep green eyes, still mesmerized by the small flecks of purple and black rims around the irises that her eye patch allowed her to see. "I think that experiment was a success, wouldn't you say?" she whispered.

"Definitely," Freed chuckled. "I never knew that an experiment could be so… Stimulating."

Lucy blushed, but her smile never left her face. "Well, maybe I'll have to repeat it," she paused and tried to keep a straight face as she continued, "I don't want my data to be unreliable."

Freed chuckled again, kissing her softly. "The fact that you can even say that just proves that you're the one for me," he whispered, closing his eyes contentedly and letting her scent envelop him.

Lucy's eyes widened at his words.  _The one for him? Does that mean…_  She didn't want to be the one to reveal her newly discovered feelings just to find out that he didn't reciprocate them. This was her first relationship, and she didn't want to mess it up by saying something so major too quickly.

"Everything alright?" Freed asked quietly, rubbing his fingers lightly up and down her spine. Lucy had tensed up briefly and instead of trying to decipher why she would do something like that, he was going to take the advice Bickslow and Laxus had given him while the girls were upstairs during Lucy's bath and just ask. They had informed Freed, at length, that he would drive himself insane if he tried to figure out why Lucy did things.

Lucy nodded and said, "Just thinking about something." Her mind was battling against itself as she tried to determine whether or not she should tell him what was on her mind. Then, of course, her previous worry about why they were together surfaced once again. Lucy sighed and pushed herself up on one elbow, then frowned. "Okay, so I'm thinking about a few things…" she said softly.

Once Lucy sat up slightly, Freed opened his eyes again and raised an eyebrow inquiringly. She sat in silence for a few minutes, glaring at the wall and wrinkling her nose in concentration. Finally, Freed bent down with a light chuckle and pulled the blankets back up to cover them, then rubbed his finger between her eyebrows until she blinked and looked down at him. "Would you like to tell me what you're thinking about?" he asked softly.

Lucy sighed and dropped her head to his chest in defeat. "I don't know," she whispered. "Two big things, and then a bunch of smaller ones… And I don't have any finalized thoughts on any of them… Well, I have one finalized thought, but I can't decide what to do with it." Lucy knew she was rambling, but she was also hoping that by skirting the topic, she could avoid Freed's natural curiosity as long as possible.

"So, tell me what you already have finalized," Freed said with a shrug.

Lucy peeked up at him through the hair that had fallen in front of her face, then mumbled, "That's what I'm having a hard time deciding. Whether or not I should tell you now or later."

Freed thought for a moment and brushed her hair away from her face. "Do you  _want_  to tell me now?"

"I don't know," Lucy whispered as she looked into his eyes. "I want to, but then I'm worried about what you'll say. So, then I feel like I should tell you another time. It's nothing bad, but something that I figured out earlier today. Ugh… This is so confusing!" Lucy turned back to Freed's chest, hiding from his view.

Freed nodded, turning her to face him again. "Well… I don't think I can help you with that one without more information."

Lucy blushed, then she got an idea.  _Maybe I'll feel comfortable telling him more about what I realized if he answers the question I've been asking myself for a while now…_  She smiled softly at him. "Actually, you can help me. The two big ones are pretty closely related, and the other one is something I've been meaning to talk to you about anyway."

Freed smiled and nodded, ready to help her sort out her thoughts. He knew what it was like to have so many thoughts rolling around in your head that it becomes hard to concentrate on anything. "What can I do to help, Lucy?"

Lucy sighed again and blushed. "You'll probably think it's silly…" Her confidence was starting to dwindle the longer she danced around what she wanted to ask him.

Freed shook his head firmly. "You do many 'silly' things, Lucy. But, your thoughts are usually as astute as mine."

Lucy's blush deepened and she smiled softly at him. "Remind me later to ask you about these 'silly' things I do…" she whispered playfully.

"I can tell you one right now," Freed said grinning. "Singing that ridiculous song with Evergreen and making Laxus and Bickslow sing it back. It was positively… Silly."

Lucy laughed and nodded. "You're right… But, it was fun!" She leaned over and kissed Freed's cheek before propping herself back up on her elbow. Her good mood hadn't dissipated, but her face became serious and slightly embarrassed. "Okay. So, there's something I've been wondering… About us." Lucy winced, but couldn't meet Freed's eyes until she finished. "So far, Aquarius, Laxus, and Evergreen have all given me advice on what to do, and they all said that I should have talked with you about it to begin with… But, I felt silly for not already knowing what the answer was. And I figured you would think it was ridiculous for me to even ask, so—"

"Lucy…" Freed interjected, a soft smile on his face. "You're rambling again."

Lucy blushed and whispered, "Sorry." She took a deep breath, shoring up her courage, and still looked at Freed meekly. "Why did you ask me out?" she whispered. "I don't understand why you want to be with me…"

Freed's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered and probably looked as confused as he felt.  _How could I not want to be with her?_  His mind was working quickly to figure out why she would be worried about something like that, how he had missed it in the first place, and most importantly why she didn't already know the answer to her question. Freed closed his eyes and shook his head with a sigh. "I never told you…" he whispered. He felt like a complete dunce right then. He had never told Lucy what had made her so special to him. That morning, he had only asked her out without explaining why he wanted to be with her.

"Told me?" Lucy asked softly, her head tilting to the side in confusion.

Freed nodded and looked ashamed as he opened his eyes. "I asked you to be my girlfriend without telling you why I wanted to be with you in the first place… I'm sorry, Lucy."

Lucy blushed and kissed his cheek lightly with a giggle. "It's okay, you can tell me now."

Freed nodded and propped himself up on his elbow and faced Lucy. He tucked a stray hair behind her ear as he tried to get his thoughts in order. His arm wrapped around her waist and his fingers danced across her skin as he finally started to speak. "I did tell you that first morning that I admire your strength, bravery, intelligence, and compassion and that you showed each of those traits when you saved me," he started, looking deeply into Lucy's eyes. "What I didn't say is that I have  _always_ admired those traits in you. I've seen how you treat everyone around you like they're your best friend. You forgive without reservations, as long as that person is truly remorseful. Your smile can light up a room and brighten anyone's day, even when they're not the one you're smiling at. No matter how many times you've been outnumbered or your opponent has outweighed your strength, you find a way to get through it and come out victorious." Freed paused and blushed before continuing. "You're the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out. You're sweet and caring, but you're still strong and independent. The fact that you were able to survive with your old team is testament enough to that. I've told you before that I don't see that mark on your face because I see  _you_ , and everything that you are just outshines it."

Lucy could only stare as Freed talked, his eyes never leaving hers. She could see how much he believed every word he was saying to her, and it made her realize that her earlier epiphany was completely right.

Freed sighed and kissed her forehead as he readied himself for what was coming. "That first night at your house, you told me about how you were tortured, and the fact that there was someone out there that understood what I was going through made me feel safe with you. It gave me the opportunity to really consider what kind of person you were, aside from Fairy Tail's Celestial mage. You comforted me instantly when I had a nightmare, and didn't worry about what anyone else might think. You also showed me that even though you have so many good qualities, you're still human. You broke down that night, cried in front of me and my team because you didn't want us thinking you were weak and couldn't take care of yourself. You figured out that emotions are a strength, not a weakness, and even though you tried to keep yours hidden to protect yourself, you still let them show. Then, you climbed into the bed and slept next to me as if it was normal. As if I didn't have wounds inside and out. Your presence kept me from having nightmares, from remembering everything that had happened before I was ready to deal with it. You comforted me when I needed someone the most, you saved my life without regard to how much you could have been hurt if things went badly. No one has ever shown me so much compassion or made me feel as safe as you did that night… and every night and day since then. I didn't know much about you before, aside from what I learned the few times we interacted and what I observed at the guild. But, everything that I've learned about you so far has shown me that there is more to life than what I previously thought."

Lucy blushed, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth and tears pricking her eyes.

"I always thought that to get by, I had to keep everything to myself. I had to keep people at a distance from me so that I would never be hurt or controlled the way my father had done for years. I never thought in all my life I would meet someone like you. Someone strong enough to protect the ones they love. Brave enough to jump in and save the life of a person they barely know. Compassionate enough to stick around and be the support that's needed when things get too hard to handle. Someone intelligent enough to best me in a word game, and understand my sense of humor. Someone who understands my magic, and my upbringing. Someone who can actually make my mind come to a halt with just a smile. Someone with all of those admirable traits, that is still beautiful. I wish I had seen it sooner, because then I would have been happier than I ever have been in my life." Freed blushed again then whispered, "That's why I wanted to date you. You're amazing."

"I…" Lucy had no idea what to say. She had no clue that Freed thought all of those things about her. She finally felt a tear fall down her cheek, and all she could do was look into his eyes while the rest fell shortly after. She watched as Freed smiled softly and brushed away her tears, then leaned forward and kissed her gently. She felt like an idiot for questioning why he would want to be with her. She knew that he thought things through before acting on them, but something inside of her had doubted his true intentions. Lucy's heart swelled at the thought of Freed thinking so highly of her, someone whose intelligence, determination, and loyalty she had always admired from a distance. She suddenly didn't feel anxious about telling him how she felt.

Freed didn't know what to make of her tears at first, but the smile on her face told him that she was pleased with what he said. Every word of it was true. He was still shocked that Lucy had agreed to be his girlfriend, but he wasn't going to question it. She had shown him over the course of two days that she really did care about him. She didn't need to tell him why she had agreed to date him because her actions answered that question for him. He continued stroking her cheek even after she stopped crying, and watched the shocked and overjoyed look in her eyes shift to anxiety. Then to absolute freedom. It was as if a weight had been lifted from her, and Freed could see it all. He leaned his forehead against hers and whispered, "Did that help with your other thought? You said they were related."

Lucy nodded and her smile widened. "Before I tell you what I was debating, I want you to know that there's no obligation on your end to do anything. I just want to tell you something," Lucy said quickly, her cautious side coming out just a little. She didn't want him to say it back because he felt like he needed to. She only wanted to tell him so he knew how she felt about him. That was all.

Freed pulled away to look in her eyes again, then nodded.

Lucy took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and said with a soft smile, "I love you."

Freed's jaw dropped. A whole plethora of emotions raged through him, circling and overlapping like the runes he wrote. Shock, excitement, fear, anxiety, surprise, joy, more fear, more anxiety, shocked again, uncertain. Then finally, his body took hold of one single emotion, and filled his from head to toe. He couldn't understand it, and for once in his life he didn't want to. Freed leaned forward and capture Lucy's lips in another kiss, trying to convey the emotion that swelled inside of him. That strange new feeling that he instantly recognized even though he had never felt it so strongly before. When he pulled away again, he saw the smile on her face and knew that she had understood what he was trying to tell her. Just so there was no doubt in her mind, he whispered happily, "I love you, too."

* * *

 _I have the worst luck,_  Bickslow thought as he walked up the stairs. Laxus and Evergreen went out to pick up breakfast so Lucy didn't have to cook for everyone again, and when they got back Bickslow had to go upstairs and get the couple from Freed's bedroom. Freed and Lucy had been silent all morning, but based on the noises they had been making the night before no one wanted to go and get them. Of course, they drew straws to see who had to go up and Bickslow drew the short straw. He listened intently for any sounds that they were awake and… busy. When he didn't hear a thing, he looked at the doorknob and wondered if they had even thought to lock the door. Bickslow sighed and slowly turned the knob, rolling his eyes when it opened right up.

Bickslow walked in, ready to start poking fun at how loud they were the night before when he stopped dead in his tracks. Lucy and Freed were definitely awake. She was sitting up in Freed's lap, kissing him. Lucy's bare back was facing the door and the blankets were pooled around her hips, showing just how little she was actually wearing. Just as he was back out of the room to give it a proper knock, he heard something that made him grin.

"I love you, Lucy."

A soft giggle. "I love you too, Freed."

Bickslow shut the door as quietly as possible, waited a couple of minutes, then knocked lightly. When he heard a muffled squeak he grinned again and said, "Hey, breakfast is downstairs." Then he walked back down with an odd pep in his step.

"What took you so long?" Evergreen asked.

"Were you peepin' on Blondie and Freed?" Laxus said with a lecherous smirk.

Bickslow only grinned and shook his head. "They're awake," he said simply as he grabbed a muffin.

"… And? That still doesn't explain why you took so long," Evergreen huffed.

"Because I was listening to what they were talking about before I knocked on the door," Bickslow said with a shrug. When Laxus and Evergreen looked at him expectantly, Bickslow swallowed his bite of food, took a sip of orange juice, and then proudly said, "They're in love." He ended up bursting out into a fit of laughter at the shocked expression on Laxus' face and the smug one on Evergreen's.

"What's so funny?" Laxus asked grouchily, stealing the rest of Bickslow's muffin.

"You're face!" Bickslow cackled. "Why are you so shocked? And Ever, what's with that smug look?"

Laxus shrugged and said, "Didn't think she's figure it out that fast."

"And I'm smug because she realized it when she was talking to me!" Evergreen said proudly, smacking Bickslow and Laxus with her fan.

"Ever, it's too early to be smacking the boys around," Lucy chirped as she came down the stairs wearing her outfit from the night before.

"No, they deserved it this time," Evergreen said softly, a gracious smile on her face that was completely at odds with the fact that she smacked them both again.

"Lemme guess," Lucy mused. "Bickslow's being a creeper that can't knock first and Laxus… What did Laxus do?"

"HUH?!" Bickslow shouted.

Freed chuckled as he wrapped his arms around Lucy's waist. "Did you forget that my door sticks, Bickslow?"

"I thought you said you knocked!" Laxus shouted.

"Oh, he did," Lucy assured them. "After he walked in and stared for a second. He snuck back out and then knocked." She turned to look at Bickslow with an evil glint in her eye and said, almost too sweetly, "I forgive you this time, Bickslow. Just don't let it happen again."

Bickslow gulped and nodded sheepishly. "O-Okay…"

Freed chuckled again and shook his head. "I think he's more afraid of you than my Pain runes," he whispered, kissing her bare shoulder before sitting down at the table.

"Nah, Bixy's just being silly," Lucy said with a grin. "Like last night when he and Laxus admitted that they're transvestites!"

Laxus and Bickslow choked on their food, and when they finally dislodged it enough to speak, they could barely be heard over the laughter of the other three in the room.

"GODDAMNIT BLONDIE!"

"GODDAMNIT COSPLAYER!"

Evergreen, Freed, and Lucy looked at each for a second, then burst out into laughter again. They were quickly followed by Laxus and Bickslow, each of them laughing until they could hardly breathe.

* * *

"Hey, guys?" Lucy asked softly after they had all finished eating and had settled in the living room. When everyone looked up at her, Lucy blushed and said, "I was thinking… Do you guys think I could watch you spar?"

"Huh?" Laxus asked. "Why?"

Lucy looked at Freed, and when he nodded she said, "Well, my eye patch lets me see details more clearly. And when I talked with Freed about it this morning, he said I might be able to learn how to predict the moves of an enemy if I watched people sparring. So I could memorize which muscles contract when a particular move is about to be executed. Like, if Laxus was going to punch Bickslow in the head for being a creeper, I could see what muscles he's using when he does it. Then, in the future I could see an enemy using those same muscles and be better prepared for that attack because I'll know what's coming."

Freed nodded approvingly. Evergreen smiled. Laxus and Bickslow had dropped their jaws, and both closed them at almost the same time, seemingly lost in thought.

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea," Laxus said finally. "Would we need to go slowly? Because depending on the amount of force you put into a hit, and how quickly you're moving, it could change the muscles that are used."

Lucy shrugged and looked at Freed. He thought for a moment and said, "Maybe a competition or evaluation of sorts with the guild? She would be able to see different people with different builds and body types performing essentially the same actions. Something with hand-to-hand to begin with. Then again, Erza uses weapons and that information would be just as useful." He paused for a moment, then added, "Lucy would also be able to see how everyone uses their magic. We could catalog it and find the similarities between attacks of the same type…" He paused again as he considered the possibilities of having that sort of information.

"Oh!" Lucy shouted gleefully, bouncing lightly with her excitement. "And if I fight against someone that uses a similar magic to anyone in the guild—like Lyon and Gray using Ice Make magic—then I would have a general idea of what to look for!" Lucy grinned.

"Oh my Mavis," Evergreen whispered to Bickslow. "Look at Freed's face!"

Bickslow snorted and tapped Laxus, pointing out what Evergreen had told him. When Laxus turned to look back at Lucy and Freed he had to hold in his laughter.

"We could write everything down, and organize it by magic type and group them together based on offense, defense, or support. Then rate it on a physicality scale with one being the least physical and five being the most. It would really help out with the others to see where they're at, too. If someone wants to improve in an area, they'll be able to see exactly who can help them!" Lucy bounced up and down happily and squealed in her excitement. That is, until she heard snickers from Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow, and a low groan from Freed.

Freed's hands shot to Lucy's waist, gripping her tightly and pressing her firmly in his lap. "Lucy," he said softly with his eyes closed. "How many times do I have to remind you not to bounce in my lap?"

Lucy blushed and muttered, "Oops, sorry…" Then covered her face with her hands in embarrassment as the other three mages on the couch completely lost it. Laxus fell on the floor holding his stomach while he laughed, Bickslow laughing so hard he was crying, and Evergreen had laughed until she ran out of the room screaming that she was going to pee her pants.

Freed leaned forward, pressing his chest against Lucy's back and whispered huskily, "Have I told you that I love how your mind works?"

Lucy turned around in Freed's lap and smiled. "You think it's a good idea?" she asked softly.

Freed kissed her shoulder and nodded. "You took the words right out of my mouth, Lucy."

Lucy grinned at him, then turned to look at Laxus and Bickslow who were still cracking up. She looked back to Freed and said, "How about we go play a song together while these crazy people calm down?" Freed nodded and Lucy led him quietly to the office. They left the door open so that everyone would know where they were and sat down at the piano. Lucy smirked at Freed. "How about this one?" she asked, while playing the opening high notes to Toccata and Fugue in D Minor.

Freed smirked back at her. "You want to play an organ piece on a piano?"

Lucy cocked her head to the side. "Well, if you don't think you can do it… I guess I'll just have to play it myself…" When Freed lifted an eyebrow and placed his hands on the keys, Lucy giggled. "See, I knew you would come around."

Freed smiled happily as they continued playing. Even though the piece wasn't that difficult with two people, it was still interesting when he realized that they instinctively knew when to switch the parts between them so neither of their hands hit each other in the process. He heard Lucy sigh contentedly and she laid her head on his shoulder just as they finished the song. Once she let go of the sustain pedal, Freed kissed her hair and started the bass notes of a slower song.

Lucy's eyes closed as she remembered the first time she played Moonlight Sonata, letting her right hand naturally find the keys she needed to play the melody while her left arm wrapped around Freed's waist.

Freed looked down at the blonde next to him and his eyebrows shot up in surprise when he saw that she wasn't looking at the keys. He laid his head on top of hers and wrapped his right arm around her waist, overlapping her left arm.

Neither of them noticed the three other mages of their team watching them from random spots in the office, soft smiles on their face. That is, until Evergreen walked around the other side of the piano and took a picture just as they separated from a short, chaste kiss. The flash instantly brought both Lucy and Freed out of their reverie, blushing up a storm, though neither faltered while they continued playing.

Evergreen looked at the picture in her hand lovingly. It was the very first picture of the couple together, and there was nothing but love in their eyes. Once the song was over, she placed the picture carefully on the music stand and walked out of the room, smiling the entire time. _Those two really are a perfect match,_  she thought.  _I've never seen Freed smile so much before. And especially not like_ _ **that**_ _._

Lucy was still blushing when she picked up the picture. She and Freed looked happy, absolutely carefree, as if nothing in the world could touch them. It was a picture of young love, newly blossomed and waiting to fully bloom. They were looking deeply into each other's eyes, only seeing the one person they cared for more than anything else. The one person they would protect without a moment's hesitation. Lucy smiled at that picture and brushed her finger lightly over the image of Freed. She was usually the only one to see that smile, but it had been captured forever in a single shot.

Freed couldn't help but smile at the look on Lucy's face while she looked at the picture. She was happy. Truly happy. It made his heart soar to see her look that way after everything they had been through in a matter of days.  _So that's what it looks like when I smile,_  he thought absently as he glanced at her hands. They were lightly tracing over his image, and that was when he realized that Lucy wasn't just admiring that picture, but she was seeing how happy they were together. One single moment was captured between them, and it was perfect. "You know," Freed whispered softly. "This looks like the perfect combination of our old lives and our new ones."

"How so?" Lucy asked wistfully.

Freed chuckled. "We're sitting and playing a piano—the instrument we both learned when we were children."

"That's how our lives used to be," Lucy nodded.

Freed pointed at the smiling couple in the picture and said, "That's our new life. Happy and together." He pulled Lucy closer to him and kissed her tenderly. "I never smiled like this until I found you, Lucy."

Lucy blushed and whispered, "Well, I'm glad you've finally found a reason to smile, Freed."

There was a light knock on the door that broke them from their small, blissful bubble. Laxus poked his head in and smirked. "Evergreen says we have to go to the guild. Something about a new team picture," he said, rolling his eyes dramatically. "She and Bix are getting ready now, so you guys might wanna get on that… Unless you're about to get—OW! What the hell, Blondie?!"

Lucy grinned and rolled her eyes at Laxus as he tried to dodge another throw pillow. She gave Freed a quick kiss and then rushed after Laxus, tackling him to the ground—because he obviously let her—and laughing as he covered his head from the barrage of pillow attacks.

Freed chuckled and carefully sidestepped the two blondes. It was strange that Lucy and Laxus were so close, but that was only because of Laxus. Lucy brought a certain light to everyone she met, and if anyone was going to get Laxus Dreyar to horse around and willingly get beaten up by a pillow, it was Lucy.

"ACK! LAXUS!" Lucy screamed. He had finally gotten tired of being hit, so he rolled over and straddled her legs, pinning her small hands to the ground with one of his.

"You're gonna get it, Blondie," Laxus warned with an evil grin.

 _Crap… Think fast… What always worked with Gray and Natsu?!_  A lightbulb went off in her head, and Lucy quickly stopped fighting him. And started pouting. She stuck out her bottom lip and started a light quiver, her eyes were wide and innocent, and she even managed a single tear.

Laxus was taken aback for a second, and he almost pulled away and let Lucy get up. At least, that was until he realized she was doing it on purpose. "Two things, Blondie. One, that won't work on me, I know you're faking." He chuckled when Lucy immediately gave up with a huff. "And, two. How in the fuck can you turn that on so quickly? You were  _crying_. On cue."

Lucy shrugged to the best of her abilities while she was pinned, then beamed. "I dunno. Skills?"

Laxus rolled his eyes, then said, "Now, about you hitting me with a pillow."

Lucy shrieked, her hips bucking and feet kicking wildly when Laxus used his free hand to tickle her sides. "LAXUS! Stop!" she shouted, tears pouring down her face from the force of her laughter. "You're gonna. HAHA! PAY!"

"Sorry, Blondie," Laxus said smugly. "Couldn't hear what you were saying over all those screams." He paused for a second, letting her catch her breath. "Hmm," he mused deviously. "I wonder how ticklish your feet are…"

Lucy's eyes widened in horror. "You wouldn't…"

Laxus' grin sent a chill down her spine when he said, "Oh?" He rolled Lucy over onto her stomach, pinning her hands on her sides beneath his legs while he turned around.

"You used your magic!" Lucy shouted, already trying to get him off of her. "That's cheating!"

Laxus just shrugged, then grabbed Lucy's feet and started tickling them.

"AHHHHH!" Lucy screamed. She almost dislodged the blond brute twice in all of her flailing, but he stayed on. "I'm gonna pee!"

Laxus cackled and was vaguely aware of feet running down the stairs.

"Lucy! Is everything al—" Evergreen and Bickslow shouted. They had heard Lucy's screams as soon as Evergreen turned off her hair dryer. What they found in the living room was the last thing they expected. Laxus was sitting on top of Lucy, tickling her feet with a huge grin on his face. And Lucy was laughing hysterically and hitting her head on the floor. Evergreen smirked and pulled out her camera to take another picture, catching the moment just before the two blondes realized what happened.

"Soooo, you guys good?" Bickslow asked awkwardly.

Laxus rolled his eyes, still grinning, and pulled Lucy up to her feet. He chuckled while she tried to straighten her clothes, then shrugged and said, "Blondie hit me with a pillow."

"So you decided to assault her?" Evergreen smirked.

Lucy giggled. "Actually, I kinda deserved it. I tackled him and kept beating him with a pillow…" She shrugged and gave Laxus a quick hug before running up the stairs to get ready for the day.

Before Evergreen or Bickslow could say anything, Laxus walked over and took the picture from the Fairy mage's hand and put it in his pocket. "You didn't see a damn thing," Laxus muttered, still smirking.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For anyone who's interested, here are the songs (on youtube) that were mentioned in the chapter:
> 
> Toccata and Fugue in D Minor (youtube.com/watch?v=o3aI7Oo3GMo)
> 
> Moonlight Sonata (youtube.com/watch?v=4Tr0otuiQuU)


	8. My Heart and Soul

"Ever," Lucy said softly, "If you take one more picture of me putting on my shoes, I'm going to break your camera…"

Evergreen tutted and smacked Lucy in the head with her fan. "I've got pictures of everyone else on the team from over the years, Lulu. You need to catch up!"

Lucy stood up and rolled her eyes with a smile. "Or, you can save the pictures for times that are really worth it." She paused, then smiled. "Like, you taking a picture  _with_  me!"

Evergreen grinned and rushed over to Bickslow who was half asleep on the couch. "Bix! Take our picture!" she shouted, pushing the camera into his hands.

"Ugh, Ever," Bickslow whined as he got the camera ready. "This is the only one I'm taking, so make it good."

Evergreen and Lucy looked at each other for a second, then smirked. Evergreen leaned forward, pushing her chest out more, and Lucy quickly jumped up to sit on her back and push her own chest out.

Bickslow laughed and stuck out his tongue, then laughed harder when both girls mimicked him by sticking out their tongues as he took the picture. "Okay… I'll take one more… This one's mine," he said as he took the newly developed picture and put it in his pocket.

The girls shrugged, then Evergreen and Lucy stopped pushing their chests out and grinned happily as Bickslow took the picture.

"Blondie, I can see your ass like that," Laxus said as he walked into the living room. He chuckled when Evergreen shot up and Lucy fell to the floor in a heap.

"Oh, so that's why Freed's blushing," Evergreen quipped, and then giggled when said Rune mage turned a darker shade of red and buried his nose in his book again.

"Maybe I should wear leggings," Lucy mused as she stood up and flattened the imaginary wrinkles in her clothes. "That way Freed won't die of blood loss while we're in public."

"Really?" Laxus and Bickslow shouted. " _That's_  what you're worried about?!" Both mages shook their heads in disbelief and thought,  _How is she not concerned with people seeing her ass all the time in those skirts?!_

Lucy grinned widely and nodded, then skipped over to Freed and laced their fingers together as everyone walked out the front door to the guild.

* * *

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Lucy squealed. She looked excitedly at Levy and Freed and saw that they were both just as excited as she was. They had gone to the guild and gotten the new Raijinshuu team picture taken, and each of them received a copy. Afterwards, Laxus went and told Makarov about the idea Freed and Lucy had come up with, and he instantly agreed. Now, the entire guild was sitting in the bleachers waiting for the fighting to begin while Lucy, Levy, and Freed sat with their pens ready to take as many notes as possible.

"It is, Lucy," Levy beamed. "I can't believe no one ever thought to do something like this so the less battle-ready mages could find ways to improve!"

"Exactly! And it could help to balance out teams in the future if we know what everyone's strengths and weaknesses are," Lucy said, then squealed again.

Freed smiled softly. "First up is Erza and Gajeel, then Natsu and Gray."

Lucy laughed and said, "Well, this should be interesting." She saw Erza about to walk past and stopped her. "Erza, remember I need to see a bunch of different attacks with different weapons."

Erza nodded. "I will try not to end the fight too quickly then," she said with a smirk.

As it turned out, Lucy wasn't able to do much in the way of taking notes during the fights. She had been so wrapped up in taking in as much detail as she could that she was only able to help fill in any blanks as the field was cleared for the next fight to begin. Erza's fight had been immensely helpful because of how different she and Gajeel were when it came to battling. There were a few close calls with weapons and attacks flying towards the crowd, but Freed had already put up runes to block them so no one was hurt. Gray and Natsu were less helpful. Lucy had seen them fight countless times, and they spent more time arguing than actually fighting. Bickslow and Elfman, Wendy and Romeo, Levy and Cana, then Evergreen and Lisanna. Each match had shown Lucy a different side to fighting and tactics, which muscles are used for what attacks, and even gave her a couple of ideas for future fights. Everyone else in the guild hadn't wanted to go all-out in a battle, so Lucy was going to meet up with them after everything was finished to make a complete list of their abilities and watch them using their magic.

"There's a five minute break before the last fight. Who's next?" Levy asked, looking across Lucy to Freed.

Freed read the page, stopped with wide eyes and read it again, then looked at a blushing Lucy. "Lucy," he said softly.

"… Y-Yes, Freed?"

"Why does it say I'll be fighting against Laxus?"

Lucy chuckled nervously, but before she could say anything, Laxus came up and clapped a hand on Freed's shoulder. "Blondie said that she wanted to see you fight so she could memorize your most effective combat runes and how you use them in battle," Laxus said with his trademark smirk.

"That doesn't explain why I have to fight against you," Freed mumbled. He knew he would never be able to match up to Laxus' strength or power. Lucy had been the one to make the matches because of how well she knew everyone in the guild. She did her best to pair up people with equal power or skill levels so that it wouldn't be over before she could learn anything. So it didn't make sense that she would pair him up with his own leader.

"She probably wants your shirt to get torn off in the process so she can stare at you," Bickslow said with a grin, turning around in his seat in front of the small group.

Lucy shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Bix, I don't have to have him fight Laxus to get his clothes off," she said, lightly pushing against his chest with her foot. While everyone around them started shouting out congratulations of sorts or making perverted jokes, Lucy looked over at Freed. "Hey," she whispered, nudging his shoulder with hers. "Wanna know why I put you against Laxus?"

Freed nodded, still wide-eyed. He felt a little better when he saw her smile at him, the one smile that was reserved only for him.

"Because you're the best match for Laxus when it comes to both skill and strength. You know each other very well, so it will make it more difficult to actually land a hit. He knows your moves, and you his. Which means, you both have to be  _inventive_  for the match to end," Lucy said softly, her smile still in place and her fingers playing with the end of Freed's ponytail.

Freed shook his head with a rueful smile. "I won't win, Lucy. I have sparred against Laxus before and have never won."

Lucy rolled her eyes and kept smiling. "This isn't about winning or losing in the first place, but I'm very confident that you'll figure out how to  _outsmart_  Laxus before he can do it to you. It's kinda your thing, Freed."

Freed nodded, still unsure of himself.

"Hey," Lucy said with a pout. When Freed looked at her again, she said sadly, "Don't you wanna help me learn?"

"Of course I do," Freed said earnestly.

"Then you need to fight against someone that's on the same level as yo—" Lucy paused in her rant, then smiled. "Nevermind. Change of plans." Lucy stood up quickly and ran through the crowd saying she would be right back. After a couple of minutes, Lucy came back grinning and whispered to Laxus.

Freed watched Laxus' eyes widen and he looked at Lucy like she was insane. When she only nodded back, he rolled his eyes and sat down. "What's going on?" Freed finally asked once Lucy was settled.

Lucy kissed Freed's forehead and took the list of matches away from him. She crossed out Laxus' name and replaced it, keeping it hidden from everyone. Freed's match was the last one. Lucy added one more match after Freed's, then she handed Freed the paper and grinned.

"Surely you're joking," Freed said, eying Lucy suspiciously.

"This is no joke, Freed. And don't call me Shirley!" Lucy said playfully.

"Alright, Freed. It's official," Bickslow said. "Lucy's fucking awesome."

Laxus nodded with a grin. "Yep, quoting movies like a pro."

Bickslow, Laxus, and Lucy ended up cracking up, and when their laughter died down, Lucy said, "No, I'm not joking, sweetie. That match is definitely even, and it means you don't have to fight against Laxus."

"Right, but—"

"Time's up!" Makarov shouted, his voice booming across the field. "Will Freed and—"

"MIRA!" Lucy shouted. "Change of plans, Master. Freed is fighting against Mira."

There was a hushed murmur that ran through their guildmates, and everyone watched Freed sigh as Mira walked out with a sweet smile on her face. Freed leaned over and kissed Lucy. Before he walked out onto the field, he smiled and said, "Only for you, Lucy."

Lucy was grinning like crazy, bouncing in her seat the entire time the fight was going. Freed had told her about his fight against Mira during Fantasia, and even though she had beaten him then they were still evenly matched. Mira had a lot of power with her Satan Soul, but that was her go-to for a Take Over. Freed had learned his lesson the first time he fought against her, and immediately wrote the runes for his wings. What Lucy found interesting was that Freed used tons of different runes on Mira, but none of them seemed to affect her as much as they should have.

"Blondie," Laxus said, leaning forward to talk to Lucy. "He's going easy on her."

"But, why?" she asked quietly, keeping her eyes on the fight.

Laxus sighed and shook his head. "He doesn't want to hurt any of our guildmates with his magic again. His most common offensive runes are Pain, Suffering, and Fear. He doesn't want to hurt her, but he agreed to do this to help you learn. That's why he's using them but cutting them short."

Lucy nodded in understanding. "I wish he had told me," she whispered. "I would have just asked him to show me at home instead of making him fight against someone."

"Nah," Laxus replied. "It's good for him to fight against someone who knows his moves, just like you said before. He'll be alright."

"Are you sure?" Lucy asked softly. "I feel bad for making him go through with it…"

Laxus moved down into Freed's seat and wrapped his arm around Lucy's shoulders. "I've known Freed for years. He would have told you if it really made him uncomfortable. Far as I can tell, he doesn't like it, but he's doing it to help you and the guild. In his mind, helping everyone out is better than him being a little uneasy with something."

Lucy sighed and nodded.

"I'm serious, Lucy," he whispered. "Don't worry about it. If it's still eating you up later on, then talk to him about it. But, I can almost guarantee he'll tell you the same thing I just did." Laxus gave her shoulders a light squeeze before letting her go and watching the rest of the match.

Freed knocked Mira to the ground, causing a large crater and dust to fly up into the air. He landed and walked over as the dust settled. "That was a wonderful match, Mira," he said as he helped her up. "We may have to do this again sometime."

Mira returned to normal and smiled as they walked back to the bleachers. "Definitely, but next time don't hold back."

Freed chuckled. "I only hold back as much as my opponent, Mira." Freed walked up to Lucy and kissed her forehead. "How was that?" he asked softly.

Lucy smiled sheepishly and blushed. "You were wonderful. But, why were you holding back?"

Freed's eyes widened for a moment before he realized that she must have noticed how weak his attacks were. "I didn't want to hurt Mira. Also, she was holding back as well."

Lucy nodded, all of the tension seeming to leave her at once. She sighed and stood up, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Laxus was right then. I felt bad for making you fight when you didn't want to hurt anyone."

Freed shrugged and wrapped his arms around her waist. "It helped you. How could I say no?"

Lucy giggled just as Makarov called the final match. "Lucy and Laxus!"

Everyone in the guild shouted at the same time. "EHHHHH?!"

* * *

"Don't go too easy on me, Laxus," Lucy said happily. After a second, she said, "But… try not to kill me…"

Laxus smirked. "Blondie, you're the one that set up this match. You still haven't explained why," he said as they made their way to the field.

Lucy grinned at him. "I'll tell you if I survive this match."

"Fair enough. You ready?"

Lucy nodded, determination coursing through her. They each took a fighting stance, and when the small bell sounded for them to begin, Lucy waited. She was curious to see what Laxus would do, but he just stood there looking at her. "Shouldn't you be doing something?" Lucy asked with a smirk, slowly starting to circle around him.

"No, I'm giving you a chance to summon someone."

"Pain," Lucy whispered, her voice dropping lower than usual. She took several slow steps backwards while Laxus dropped to the ground and screamed. Lucy quickly summoned Sagittarius and pulled out her whip, then closed her left eye behind her opaque eye patch to end the spell.

"Shit," Laxus muttered as he stood up. "I forgot about that…" He shook his head, and teleported just behind Lucy as Sagittarius shot three arrows at him. "Too slow, Blondie," he whispered, picking Lucy up and throwing her a few yards away.

"That's it!" Lucy shouted. She grinned at him evilly and said, "I still have to get you back for earlier." She sent Sagittarius back, deciding to try her luck at hand-to-hand until she came up with a plan.  _I'm no match for his strength, but I know he's holding back._  Lucy lashed at him with her whip, only for him to teleport behind her again. She dropped to the ground, finally anticipating his move, and quickly crawled between his legs. Lucy dove to the right just as Laxus turned around to swipe at her, and rolled until she was on her feet again.

"You really should wear pants, Blondie," Laxus smirked.

Lucy sighed. "Laxus, you're just standing there. You should probably actually fight me otherwise I won't get anything out of this."

"You sure?" Laxus asked. When Lucy nodded, he crouched low and grinned. "Alright, Blondie. Have it your way." He streaked after her in his Lightning Form, finally landing next to her and shooting the smallest burst of lightning he could manage at her.

Lucy smirked.  _Finally, he's at least trying._  She dove to the side again, barely missing the blast, then shot her whip out to wrap around his arm. Lucy tugged at it, and had just enough momentum to pull Laxus down on one knee. She rushed in for a Lucy Kick, but was thrown back by a lightning burst from his other hand. She rolled and shakily stood to her feet, then tensed when Laxus shifted into his lightning form and circled around her. She noticed him slow just a little bit before making a sharp turn and shooting right at her, and was able to ready her body to jump over him as he dove down at her feet.

Laxus landed in a crouch, surprised that Lucy had been able to dodge him at all when he was moving that quickly. He whirled around when he heard her whip snap in preparation for an attack and caught her foot as she tried to kick him. He stood up and rolled his eyes when her skirt flew up revealing her underwear while he held her upside down. "What did I say about pants, Blond—"

Lucy smirked and used her other foot to kick Laxus in the jaw while he took time to scold her. He dropped her from the shock of the hit, and Lucy landed on her hands and quickly sprung away from him. "Punch me, Laxus," she said sternly. "Let me see how long I can dodge. I need to watch which muscles contract when you throw punches."

Laxus lunged at her, powering his hits with just a little bit of lightning. He started out with a smirk when she successfully dodged each hit, and added more magic to increase his speed and hitting power. Lucy still dodged every single one, and he could see her eyebrows drawn together while she studied his movements. "Don't forget to fight back, Blondie," he said.

Lucy nodded, and mixed blocking his attacks in with her evasive movements. She felt a tingling sensation run through her with each hit she blocked, then sensed Laxus increasing his magic use. Lucy's eyes widened when he started moving faster, and the tingling she had felt started to hurt. Each time she came into contact with him, a painful jolt of electricity ran through her. Laxus' stance changed just slightly, and Lucy jumped into the air and did a split over his leg as it shot out to hit her stomach. She landed and ducked down when he threw a powerful right hook that she knew would have probably knocked her out.

Laxus' smirk had turned into a full-on grin. He was getting to see firsthand what Lucy was like in a close combat situation. Her eye patch had made her more perceptive, allowing her to see each of his muscles contracting so she would be ready for any move he threw at her. Even when he sped up until he was almost at his peak performance, she was still keeping up with him. He could tell that she was tiring, sweat starting to drip down her face and her breathing becoming more labored as they went on, but she wasn't giving up. He feinted with a kick and when she reacted by dodging to the side instead of jumping again, his arm shot out and clotheslined her. He winced as she hit the ground with a loud thud, but just before he could ask if she was alright, a bright light nearly blinded him and then he was hit with a golden fist that could only belong to one person.

Lucy silently summoned Leo as she fell to the ground, and let him go into the battle while she came up with a plan.  _Should have done that to begin with…_  Lucy scolded herself while she got back to her feet and caught her breath. She watched Laxus shooting out bigger and bigger bolts of lightning during his fight against Leo, and that was when inspiration finally hit her. She knew just how to end the fight.

Laxus smirked as Leo was hit with just enough lightning to send him back to the Spirit World.  _I'll apologize for that later,_  he thought. Lucy had told every member of the team how she felt about her spirits, and they all understood. He was just hoping that she wouldn't be too upset since they were only supposed to be sparring. He turned to face Lucy and saw a smile run across her face.

Lucy was finally thankful that she had been training those three months with Capricorn and her spirits. She smiled as Laxus turned to face her, and it appeared that her ruse was working. Lucy had created six large spheres of golden sparkling light that floated around her body, each of them the size of her torso. She had them slowly circle around her with her hands held out to her sides, and grinned at Laxus when they picked up in speed.

 _What the hell is this?!_ , Laxus thought as the huge orbs of light continued spinning around Lucy. He could feel an immense amount of magic coming off of them, and his eyes widened when her own magic started pouring off of her, almost like she had jumped into a puddle of golden light that splashed up around her in slow motion. His body started crackling with lightning, trying to prepare for whatever she was going to throw at him.

Lucy took one step forward, then another. She let her magic fill her as the orbs sped up and tilted until they were creating an almost solid ring of light in front of her. Lucy lifted her hands until they were stretched out in front of her. She gave the orbs a small push, and all six went flying at Laxus.

Laxus increased the power of his lightning as it flowed around his body. The orbs were too close when they started moving for him to dodge or teleport, so all he could do was block. He let the rest of his magic flow and increased the power of the shield he was making.  _Not taking any chances. I have no clue what this shit is!_

Lucy smirked when she saw Laxus pour more magic into his shield. She pictured a barrier surrounding Laxus like a bubble, with the reflection pointing inside towards him, then Lucy's voice dropped again when she whispered, "Reflect." The barrier appeared around him and just before the orbs hit Laxus, Lucy cut off the magic supply to them and they disappeared instantly.

Laxus saw the orbs coming closer, and sent his all of his lightning out to hit them. He didn't realize what Lucy had done until it was too late. All of the magic he had used to try and take out those orbs hit a semi-translucent barrier that was surrounding him, and bounced back twice as powerful as it was when he released it. There was only so much that he could re-absorb, and even with the natural resistance he had to lightning, Laxus ended up being electrocuted by a little less than half of the returning lightning. He screamed and dropped onto his hands and knees, his body wracked with small spasms as the lightning finally died down once the barrier disappeared.

Lucy ran over and knelt next to him. "Laxus, are you alright?" she whispered, her voice laced with concern. He had definitely been electrocuted, and there were quite a few scorch marks on him.

Laxus slowly pushed himself up until he was towering over her while still on his knees, though he knew he didn't look menacing in the slightest. He smiled down at the blonde girl, and said, "Yeah, little sis. I'm good." He wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders in a half-hug.  _Well, I guess this is what it's like to be proud of someone,_  he thought.

Lucy beamed at Laxus and helped him stand up since his legs were a little wobbly. "Still want me to tell you why I fought you?" she whispered as they made their way slowly back to the bleachers.

Laxus chuckled and said, "Yeah, I do."

Lucy grinned up at him and said, "I wanted to see for myself how strong my big brother is." She leaned her head lightly against his chest when he smiled softly at her and chuckled again.

"That works for me, Blondie."

She hadn't realized how quiet everyone was until they got back to the bleachers. Mira rushed up and helped Laxus sit down, and Lucy sat down happily next to Freed. When it was still silent, she looked at Freed and saw that his jaw was wide open. Lucy blushed and looked around her to see matching expressions on everyone else. "What?" Lucy asked, her face turning a bright crimson.

Laxus chuckled and said, "I think you broke them… Because you beat me."

"Luce!" Natsu shouted. "Fight me!" He rushed over to his friend with his fists on fire, only to run into a rune barrier right in front of her. "What the—"

Lucy giggle and kissed Freed's cheek. "Thanks, sweetie," she whispered as she watched him re-sheathe his sword.

"Of course, Lucy," Freed responded, pulling her into a tender kiss that left them both blushing since they were in front of the whole guild.

Finally, as if Natsu running into the wall of runes had broken some sort of spell, everyone sitting in the bleachers started bombarding Lucy with questions on how she got so strong. It only made her blush and try to wave them off, because as far as she was concerned, it wasn't that she was strong enough to beat Laxus. She had tricked him.

Everyone slowly filed back into the guild hall, and Levy was the last to leave since she was talking so animatedly about the notes they had taken during the day. Once the Script mage was gone, it was only the Raijinshuu sitting outside in the middle of the field.

"Alright, Blondie," Laxus said gruffly. "How'd you do it?"

Lucy blushed and scratched the back of her head. "Well… You see… I…" Finally, she dropped her head in defeat. "I tricked you, Laxus…" she whispered, then raised her head back up to look him in the eye. "I'm sorry."

Laxus chuckled along with everyone else around Lucy. "No need to apologize, Blondie," he said with a shrug. "You can't match my strength, so you used whatever you could. That's how it's supposed to be. I was pretty surprised with how fast you are though… I was almost going full speed at the end."

"Yeah, Lulu," Evergreen said encouragingly. "So tell us what you did. I've never seen anything like that. Have you, Freed?"

Freed shook his head. "Neither have I."

Lucy sighed and nodded. "So, I knew I couldn't beat Laxus in hand-to-hand when he finally started trying to fight back instead of teleporting when I attacked. I told him that I needed to see punches, and asked that he actually attack me."

"I even started speeding up and putting more force behind the hits just to see how long she would last," Laxus said proudly. "You did pretty well, but I could see you getting worn out from dodging and trying to keep up."

Lucy smiled at him. "Well, I guess that's why you knocked me down when you did. So, I summoned Leo to keep you occupied while I figured out a way to take you down."

Bickslow nodded. "I was wondering why you were standing there since you usually fight  _with_  your spirits. Makes sense."

Lucy blushed and said, "I hated not fighting alongside Leo, but I had to figure something out otherwise I would probably be a small pile of ash right now…"

"Hey," Laxus shouted in mock offense. "I wouldn't have electrocuted you  _that_  badly!"

Lucy sweatdropped and said, "Thanks, Laxus…"

"So the plan was those light things?" Evergreen asked. "What were those anyway?"

Lucy finally grinned, having already started to feel better about the fight. "Well, those were just a distraction," she said happily. "I use those for training. I focus my magic into a sphere outside of myself and see how many I can make. Six is what I'm most comfortable with when I start moving them around." Lucy demonstrated by creating a single ball of light in the air above them, then slowly moving it over each of their heads. "It's essentially a ball of my magic, but there's no way to cause harm with it. I usually make a few and start changing their sizes at different rates or having them circle around me as fast as possible and try to catch one."

"How many of them can you make?" Evergreen asked softly, looking up into the soft golden light coming from the orb.

Lucy shrugged. "First thing in the morning? Probably… a hundred. But I can't do anything with them if I make too many, since I'm controlling each of them individually. And, the more I make the smaller they have to be so my magic is split evenly between them."

Freed smiled and said, "So, you used those as a distraction to make Laxus think that you were going to hit him with a powerful attack."

Lucy nodded. "Just before they hit, I used that Reflect spell you taught me. But I changed it so that it wasn't a wall. I pictured it wrapping around Laxus like a bubble with the reflection inside, so anything he shot out would bounce back and hit him. Then when I used my eye, it created what I pictured in my head. I cut off the magic for the orbs right when he tried to stop them." Lucy paused and thought for a moment, cutting of the magic for the orb still floating around and letting it dissipate. "You know, it's a good thing I did that. If I still had them out when his magic hit the barrier, I would have probably passed out. It doesn't drain my magic until something hits it, and it seems to drain more based on how much it has to reflect. If I hadn't pulled that magic back into myself when I did, then I would have been completely drained."

Laxus grinned at her. "Well, I'm proud of you, Blondie. It's not often that I fall for something like that. Plus, I sent out so much of my magic that when it doubled and hit me, I couldn't absorb all of it."

Lucy's jaw dropped.  _He's… proud of me?_  She looked around at the rest of the team, and saw nothing but smiles from each of them. "Y-You… are?" she asked, her voice cracking a little as she fought to hold back her happy tears.

"Yep," Laxus replied with a smirk.

* * *

It had been a month since Lucy's house had been destroyed. Nothing else had happened, and everyone was on edge while they waited for Freed's father to make another move. The Raijinshuu took a two week S-Class mission, calling Makarov every other day when they had a minute to check on how things were back at the guild. Each time, he told them that everything was fine and they shouldn't worry so much.

Their mission ended with only minor injuries to Bickslow and Lucy. No one knew that Lucy had been hurt, a stab wound in her right bicep from an enemy sneaking up on her, and she bandaged it up once everyone was asleep. It wasn't until the next morning that Freed found out about it when he touched her arm and she winced. He had quickly moved her sleeve to find the bandage she had put on herself with a large blood stain on it. He hadn't said anything at the time, deciding while he changed the bandage to talk to her about it later, but when Evergreen came in and saw it she rushed out to get the rest of the team. Laxus had been pissed that she kept it from them, and gave her a piece of his mind about it. Bickslow said he kind of understood since she was still used to caring for her own wounds. Evergreen ended up crying because she thought Lucy didn't trust them. The worst though was Freed. He hadn't said a thing about it until he and Lucy were alone again.

When he finally spoke, it was completely at odds with how Lucy was used to him being around her. He was withdrawn, his stoic mask back in place, and not even his eyes told her what he was feeling. He had asked her why she didn't tell anyone, so they could have at least stitched it closed for her, and she shrugged. He had been ready to walk out of the room they were staying in to get some air when she blocked the door and broke down. Lucy was still holding onto that fear of being weak, being left alone again because she wasn't strong enough to take care of herself. It was her first mission with the Raijinshuu, and she didn't want to be the damsel in distress like she always was with Team Natsu. She was still struggling with the idea that she had people to look after her if she needed it, people that had her back no matter what. Her biggest issue was the idea that she had to have a scar to remind her of her mistakes in battle. It took a lot of coaxing from the whole team for her to realize that they weren't going to leave her just because she got hurt. They would take care of her just like she took care of them. Lucy told them that she was going to try not to do it again, that she would work on pushing past what held her back and tell them what was wrong, and they readily accepted the effort. Luckily, by the time they reached Magnolia, everything was back to normal for the team and they celebrated a successful mission at the guild.

Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow decided to stay at Freed's house every other night instead of all the time, and on the nights when everyone was there the team would stay up late watching movies, swimming, playing random games, and just having a good time. They all knew that it had started as a way to take their minds off of the threat from Freed's father and make sure Freed and Lucy were safe, but after that mission it just became natural. Freed had taken a couple of days to enchant the rest of the team's houses, fearing that his father would hire someone to do the same thing to them that he had done to Lucy.

There were plans in place in case something happened at Freed's house—or anyone else's—and they needed a quick escape. Lucy was to be teleported by Laxus to the guild and then everyone would rendezvous there after things had settled. She was still trying to learn how to use the teleportation runes with her eye, but there seemed to be some sort of resistance on it, so she was never successful. She hated that everyone had agreed to take her as far away from any confrontation that might happen, but only submitted to it because of Freed. He had told her one night that he didn't know what he would do if she was hurt because of his father, and the fear that had been apparent on his face and in his words had made her relent. She wasn't happy about it, but she knew that they didn't think she couldn't handle herself. It was only to make sure she was safe so that Freed could focus on getting back to the rendezvous point instead of worry about her. Lucy understood Freed's reasoning: if she was there during a confrontation, she would be targeted over everyone else because of how close she was to Freed. If they found a way to get to her, there was no telling whether or not they would let her live even if Freed did say he would return home to his father. She couldn't fault him for caring about her.

Lucy and Freed had spent a quiet night alone, and had gone to bed relatively early. Lucy jolted up in bed with fear coursing through her and looked around the darkened room in a panic. She'd had a few nightmares since that afternoon that her home had been destroyed, but none of them were nearly as bad as that one. It had been about her first solo mission again, except instead of the nameless woman she hadn't been able to save, Lucy saw Freed. She had been stuck in one place as she watched him get tortured, and just as she was able to move, she woke up.

"Lucy?" Freed whispered groggily, sitting up and turning on the lamp on his nightstand. "Are you alright?" He could feel her shaking, and heard her short panicked breaths, but as soon as she had heard his voice, he was tackled to the bed again.

"Freed!" Lucy whispered into Freed's hair. She pulled one leg over his hips and straddled him, then hugged him tighter. "You're okay…"

Freed sighed and ran his hands along Lucy's bare back, through her hair, and down her arms as he attempted to soothe her. "It's alright, Lucy," he whispered. "I'm fine. It was only a dream." There was only one thing that had kept both him and Lucy sane throughout their battles with bad dreams, and that was that they never seemed to have them at the same time. There was always one person out of the two of them that was calm and relaxed enough to soothe away any worries the other had until the fear that had overtaken them passed.

Lucy kissed Freed's neck lightly as her tremors finally calmed down, and the last of her terror dissipated. He was safe and holding her in his arms, and that was all she had needed to know everything would be okay. She sighed and sat up with her hands on either side of his head. She smirked when she felt him twitch right against her naked core and rolled her hips just enough to make him groan. Lucy had told Freed that she was ready to take that last step as soon as everything was cleared up with his father. He hadn't understood why that would make a difference at first, but after she had explained that she didn't want to have that threat hanging over them because a part of her would still be worried about it while they were together, he had understood. The only problem was that now she wanted to go ahead with it anyway, but Freed kept stopping her and reminding her about what she said.

"Lucy," Freed whispered as his hands ghosted up her waist to her breasts. His eyes rolled back when she ground against him again, already covering his hardened member in her slick juices. It was torture for him every time she did this, but she had been so adamant about waiting until after his father finally left them alone, that he couldn't let her continue.

Lucy leaned down and roughly tugged on Freed's lower lip with her teeth, making him groan again. Her tongue pushed into his mouth and she moaned as she ground against him again, his length sliding along her moistened slit. Lucy lifted her hips just enough to slide her hand between them and start stroking him. She pulled away from the kiss and rasped, "Please, Freed… I want you…"

Freed panted as her strokes became faster and faster, and almost relented when she lined him up at her entrance and slowly circled it with his flared head. "We… ngh… Can't…" he panted, reaching down to stop her hand even though his body wanted nothing more than to plunge deep inside of her. He gently pulled Lucy's hand away, lacing his fingers with hers and kissing her knuckles.

Lucy huffed in irritation and pulled her leg back over, throwing herself back on the bed and facing away from him. She knew he was right. They had both agreed to wait, and it was  _her_  idea in the first place.

Freed rolled over and pressed himself tightly to Lucy's back, sliding one arm under her to tease her breast while the other wrapped around her waist and slid down to brush over the golden curls above her womanhood. "I'm sorry, Lucy," he whispered.

Lucy sighed, not wanting her body to respond to him, and said, "I know… We agreed to it. But's it's been a month since anything has happened. Maybe your father isn't going to keep coming after you."

"We can't know for sure. I told you that he usually bides his time until everyone lets their guard down," he whispered. When Lucy huffed, Freed kissed along her shoulder and he pulled her more firmly against him while he ground himself into her from behind. Lucy's breath hitched and her back arched. "I can still help you, if you'd like," he rasped, nibbling all the way up to her ear before sucking the small lobe into his mouth.

Lucy whimpered when his teeth grazed her flesh again and again, followed quickly by small flicks of his tongue. "Please," she whispered. She gasped when Freed's hand pulled her leg up and hooked it over his, spreading her wide open while she faced away from him, and wider still when he opened his own legs. His hand on her breast started moving with more purpose, instead of lightly teasing her, and the hand that had pulled her leg up slid slowly down to the apex of her thighs. Lucy's hips writhed in anticipation while his fingers traced a searing path to her core.

Freed smirked as his hand finally made its way to her weeping center, and he slammed two fingers deep within her, then pulled them back slowly and repeated the motion. She was absolutely soaked, and he groaned at the thought of not allowing himself to push inside of her and feel her wrapped around him like a vice. She was already panting, a light sheen of sweat covering her body, and he couldn't get enough of it. He slid his hand out from under her and let her leg move off of his as he pushed her down onto her back. Freed moved down to take her nipple into his mouth, and picked up the speed of his plunging fingers.

"Oh, Freed!" Lucy panted. His tongue was taking her breath away right alongside those fingers of his. Once his name fell from her hips, she moaned long and low when he buried his fingers are far as they would go inside of her and started to circle around. She rolled her hips, and her head shot back at the new sensation she had felt. So, she rolled her hips again and again until Freed's fingers pulled back and slammed into her. The pace he set had her shooting up to her climax and practically jumping over the edge once she found her release. White light burst behind her eyes and she practically screamed Freed's name at the top of her lungs. She felt as if she was breaking apart into tiny pieces, and yet his fingers just kept hammering into her.

Freed let her nipple go and started kissing down her stomach, never slowing down with his fingers even through her climax. Before she had finished coming down from her high, Freed settled his shoulders between her thighs and immediately replaced his fingers with his tongue. It plunged in and out of her, and he felt her walls contracting around it and trying to pull him in further. He groaned against her at the feeling, and when her hands shot down to tangle in his hair, Freed couldn't help but groan once more. He moved up and flicked his tongue across her sensitive bundle again and again, sucking and nibbling on it until she was wantonly rolling her hips against his face, then pushed his fingers back into her slowly. He loved the way she moved against him, how she cried out when he hit just the right spot, and the way she took control to show him just what she wanted. He especially loved the way she tasted. He found the small spongy patch inside of her and made sure to rub his fingers over it every time.

Lucy always tried to keep herself relatively still, but it never seemed to work. Freed's tongue plunging into her before she had even finished her first climax had set her up ready for another. A jolt of pleasure ran through her when she felt him lick her tiny bundle, and she couldn't get enough of it. Lucy pushed her hips more forcefully towards him, and it only seemed to make Freed more willing to please her. She moaned his name over and over as he drove her higher towards her climax, his tongue moving quickly in contrast with the slowness of his fingers. There were plenty of unexpected things that he did to her with that tongue, but she had never expected the next few words to come out of his mouth.

"How sure are you, Lucy?" he rasped, his voice lower and filled with promises and his lips ghosting across her slit. He pulled his fingers back to sit at her entrance and gently massaged it while he waited for her answer, still teasing her with small strokes of his tongue on her clit. She had told him before why she wanted to wait even though she felt ready to give all of herself to him, and he understood when she explained her reasoning. However, something had changed in the past week, and Lucy had been begging him to take her every single night… and every night he had refused.

"Ngh… Freed…" she whimpered. She was so close to her orgasm, but he had stopped. Her hips rolled again and again as she tried to get him to keep going so the ache inside of her could be released.

Freed pulled his fingers away from her and said, "Tell me how sure you are."

Lucy was panting, trying to form words, and when she was finally able to do so, she answered him. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life, Freed."

Freed looked up at her and continued his slow torture on her womanhood with his tongue. He swirled it around her entrance, and pushed it in slightly only to pull it back out and do it again. His teeth grazed against her lower lips and he heard her breath catch in her throat. "Why?" he asked as he moved up and nibbled on her hip.

Lucy gasped when he sucked the skin on her hip into his mouth, and held his gaze.  _Why not?,_  she asked herself. Her mind was hazy with lust, and she could hardly put two thoughts together while he teased her. Lucy had been afraid to give herself to him before because of everything that was happening with Freed's father, but after a month of nothing from the man Lucy couldn't see any reason to deny that she really wanted to finally take that last step. They loved each other and she didn't think that it would be possible for her to love anyone else the way she loved Freed. She pulled him up and kissed him tenderly, regardless of how badly she wanted to find her release again. When she pulled back, Lucy whispered, "I love you. I don't want to wait any more. I'm tired of worrying about everything else, instead of letting myself be happy. I don't want to sit around and wait for something to happen, because sometimes things don't work out that way. I want you to have all of me, and I want all of you, Freed."

Freed kissed her softly. He knew it would be painful for her, and he wanted to do everything in his power to lessen that. Freed pulled away and searched her eyes. There was nothing but honesty and love in them. "Then there's something we need to do first," he whispered. "Do you trust me?"

Lucy nodded and smiled. "With my life."

Freed put three fingers into his mouth and sucked on them, moaning as he tasted her on the fingers that had been inside of her already, before moving back down to her entrance. He leaned down to whisper in her ear before nibbling on it, "I don't want to hurt you, Lucy." When she nodded and placed her hands on his shoulders, Freed pushed his fingers slowly inside of her, giving her time to adjust to how they were stretching her. When she winced, Freed paused and pulled back slightly, trailing light kisses across her neck and jaw. Once he felt Lucy relax, he would start to push further. Each stroke was small, but he kept going slowly until his fingers were fully sheathed in her tight sex.

Lucy whimpered slightly when Freed's fingers were fully inside of her. Just like the first time they had done this, he went slowly and let her get used to it. She had never felt anything like this before though. There was a sense of fullness inside of her, but when his fingers started to make small circles and pull back at the same time, she let out a shaky breath. She gasped as Freed's hand turned slightly before pushing them back in, but he never moved too quickly. He kept his slow pace, but it wasn't long before she was bounding toward the release that she had been so close to achieving before he asked that question. Lucy's legs were shaking, her whole body tense as she teetered on the edge of her climax, and she was barely able to whisper, "Freed…" before his fingers pushed all the way inside of her and his thumb circled around her clit quickly, finally giving Lucy her release.

Freed carefully withdrew his fingers and settled himself between Lucy's still quivering thighs. He kissed her gently as she came back to herself, her arms wrapping loosely around his neck and a smile turning up the corners of her mouth. When the kiss ended, he looked deeply into her half-lidded eyes and asked one last time. "You're sure?" he whispered.

Lucy nodded slowly, pressing her lips softly to his. "I'm sure, sweetie. I'm ready."

Freed kissed her again, then leaned over to his nightstand to pull a small foil packet from the drawer. He tore it open and rolled the condom down onto himself while Lucy ran her fingers across the scars on his chest. Freed leaned back over her and lined himself up at her entrance, sliding the tip of his manhood over her moist slit. "Tell me if I need to stop," he whispered. When she nodded he slowly pushed himself into her, grunting when he felt just how tight she was around him. Freed paused when he heard her gasp.

"I'm okay," Lucy said softly, running her hands over his shoulders. Lucy hadn't realized how different it would be from his fingers inside of her, and now she understood why he said he didn't want to hurt her. She felt every bit of her stretching to accommodate him and moaned lightly until he finally hit that small membrane. Lucy took a deep breath and pulled him down into a kiss, lightly running her nails against his scalp. When he didn't move to push through it, still trying to give her a chance to back out, Lucy's legs wrapped around his hips and quickly pushed him all the way in, then fell back to the bed once that small barrier was broken. She refused to let his lips go, even when she cried out at the sudden tearing inside of her.

Freed moaned when he felt her hot core gripping him so tightly, but he refused to move until she was ready. Once her virgin barrier was broken, Lucy whimpered and her body tensed up around him as she fought the pain. He kept kissing her and brought one hand up to cup her cheek while she tried to adjust to everything.

The pain wasn't as bad as she had expected it to be, and she realized that those romance novels she had read had decided to exaggerate that little detail so often that they had her thinking she would be screaming bloody murder. Once the small pain disappeared, Lucy tentatively rolled her hips and they both moaned in unison. She gasped as he slowly withdrew from her; inch by glorious inch of him rubbed against her walls as he pulled almost completely out of her, and she moaned when he pushed back in.

"I love you, Lucy," Freed whispered. Freed's hand moved from her cheek down her throat to cup her breast as he carefully thrust into her, and he captured her lips again, moving them slowly over Lucy's scarred ones in time with his thrusts. It was something he had waited so long to do, something he had been willing to share with her almost from the beginning—and not because of the act itself, but because of how much it meant to him that it was with someone special—and now he had given her his final "first." He and Lucy had been taught that you were supposed to be a virgin when you got married, but Freed knew from the beginning that his life would probably never play out that way. He always told himself that when he found the right woman, it wouldn't matter whether or not they were married, only that they loved each other. Now that it was happening, he knew that he had been right to think that. He didn't care that they weren't following tradition, or about anything else that was happening in the world right then. The only thing that mattered to him was what he was experiencing with Lucy, the woman he loved.

"I love you, too," she panted. Lucy's hands slid down to move along his shoulders and back, and she moaned when his thumb brushed over her sensitized nipple. She felt her walls clamp around him for a brief moment, and when he groaned and pushed into her a little harder, she couldn't help but respond with a breathy, "Oh, Freed." It was everything she had ever imagined and more. She never knew that there would be such an intense warmth spreading from her heart to the rest of her body, or that she would be lost in the beautiful eyes of the man she loved when he looked at her. She wanted her first time to be special, with someone she loved, and it was just that. Her previous fears about moving too quickly or what others might say went flying out the window once she decided that she was really ready to take this last step with him. He had been her first everything, and just like every other first of hers, he made it perfect.

Freed's hand slid down her body and he lifted her leg just a little higher as he started to move a little faster. He leaned down to kiss her again, and was surprised when her tongue slid into his mouth to battle with his. His body started reacting to each shock of pleasure he got from that kiss and he moaned when Lucy's hips rolled to meet his thrusts. Both hands shot to her hips, gripping them lightly while he pulled her just a little closer each time they met.

"Oh… Ngh…" Lucy moaned and she gasped when he sucked her now-healed lower lip into his mouth. Every time his hips met her pelvis, it felt as if he was getting deeper and deeper. Her hands tangled in his hair, their previous slow pace forgotten as the beginnings of another, much more intense, orgasm started winding inside of her. She pulled his hair lightly and when he slammed himself into her she screamed out, "Oh God. YES!" There was no pain, and she hardly remembered why she thought it would be painful. Lucy's back was arched as he found a sweet spot just inside of her, and she panted his name like a prayer when he did several short strokes to pass right over it as she kept climbing towards her orgasm.

Her words were music to his ears, and they drove him crazy. He needed more of her, wanted to hear her scream his name to the heavens in pure ecstasy. Even though his grip on her had tightened, she still met each of his thrusts and rolled her hips against him. He leaned down and roughly sucked a nipple into his mouth, nibbling the peaked tip and moaning as he slammed into her heated core again and again. There was no more taking it slow, and Lucy didn't seem to mind it one bit. He moaned against her breast, rolling the nipple between his teeth. Her hands tightened in his hair again and Freed was roughly pulled back to her lips for another searing kiss. He slid his arms under her body and pulled her tightly to his chest as he sat up, still pounding into her.

Lucy's head flew back and she moaned at the new angle as he pushed further into her than before. Freed was hitting some wonderful spot deep inside of her, and she never wanted it to stop. "F-Freed… Ah… Harder!" she screamed, wrapping her arms around his neck while she tried to lift her hips in time with his thrusts. Lucy could hardly keep up with him as he plowed into her, and he quickly compensated for it.

Even if he wanted to, he couldn't deny her. Freed locked his arms around her waist and pounded into her more forcefully than before. "So tight," he panted, then groaned loudly when Lucy's body reacted to his words by tightening around him briefly. The sound of their skin slapping against each other and her sounds of pure pleasure spurring him on. Freed's head tilted to the side when Lucy pushed his hair away from his neck and roughly sucked on the skin there. He felt her walls tighten a little more and groaned as he pushed into her faster. When her nails started digging into his shoulders he felt another jolt of pleasure rip through him and he threw her back on the bed, diving down to suck and nibble along her throat and chest, leaving marks all along the way.

Lucy gasped when Freed's arms wrapped under her legs and he lifted only her hips up to meet him. He picked up in speed again, his breathing erratic and the glistening skin of his chest sliding against hers. Her breath came in shorter bursts, her moans turning to downright screams, and just when she didn't think she could take any more, Freed surprised her again.

"That's it, baby," Freed grunted into her ear. "Cum with me." He slammed into her again and again, felt his body tightening along with hers. When her head flew back with his name ripping out of her in a scream and her back arched off of the bed, it was his undoing. He plunged into her one last time, filling her warmth with every inch of him before shouting out her name with his release. Freed's head dropped to Lucy's shoulder, and he propped himself up on his elbows while the rest of his body shook from his release. She squeezed him so tightly while her body tried to pull him further in that Freed moaned and shuddered every time her core tightened around him.

Lucy felt like she was floating, her limbs deliciously heavy and slightly jittery while she came back to herself. She smiled and moaned softly when Freed's lips pressed against her neck and shoulder over and over. After a moment, once her hands started working again, Lucy slowly slid them up Freed's back and pushed his hair away from his face before sliding back down. "I love you so much, Freed," she whispered as she continued to massage him.

Freed felt his body finally calming down and returning to normal. He kissed her neck again and said, "I love you too, Lucy." He pulled his head up and kissed her while he carefully withdrew himself from her warmth, furrowing his brow when she winced.

It was painful when he pulled out of her, but Lucy kept her lips on his not wanting the kiss to end. She felt him move just a little, and when he pulled away from the kiss Lucy lazily watched him lean over to throw away the used condom. She smiled as Freed adjusted to lie down next to her, and rolled onto her side to face him.

"Are you alright?" Freed asked softly, brushing her slightly damp hair behind her ear.

Lucy kissed him lightly and smiled, pulling some of his hair into her hand to play with. "I'll probably be a little sore in the morning, but I feel amazing right now," she said with a light giggle. Her eyes widened for a moment, then she giggled again.

Freed kissed her forehead, then pressed his against it. "Why are you giggling?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Because we've been together for a little over a month, and that was the first time you've called me anything besides my name," she said with her smile still on her face. Lucy moved closer to Freed and pulled the blankets back up over them, then kissed his chin.

Freed's brow furrowed as he tried to figure out if she was right. When she giggled yet again and rubbed her finger lightly between his eyebrows, he looked down at her.

"It's true, Freed. I never pictured you using a petname for me anyway, so it's not a big deal," she said sweetly. She thought for a moment, then said, "Well, you called me an angel twice, but I don't think that counts since you didn't realize it was me you were talking to."

Freed chuckled and shook his head. "Even if I didn't know it was you at the time, I believe I was right to call you that," he whispered. Freed turned off the light and wrapped his arm around Lucy's waist, lightly massaging her bare back and closing his eyes. "That's exactly what you are."

"Mmm," she hummed. "I can't really fight that… You only say what you mean." She yawned and cuddled closer to Freed, letting his steady heartbeat lull her to sleep.

Freed smiled and kissed her hair. Her breathing evened out quickly, and he spent a good long while just lying there holding her.  _She was an angel that saved me,_  he thought.  _She's saved me every day since she found me._  He had always thought he was emotionless because he never let them get to him. The beautiful woman in his arms showed him that there was so much more to life than what he had thought. Lucy had opened his eyes to so much, and his heart swelled with love for her. Eventually, Freed's eyes started to droop and he felt sleep calling to him. Just as he was drifting off, he thought,  _I would do anything for you, Lucy._

* * *

"Freed, are you sure you're father's still planning on doing something?" Lucy asked softly while she brushed his hair. It had been six months since Lucy had found him in that monastery, and they hadn't heard or seen any sign of Freed's father coming after him since then. Six months of her and Freed living together peacefully—aside from either of them having nightmares and the occasional panic attack on Freed's part. He had opened up to her about all three weeks of his torture, and they had been able to go on their first date out in public just one week before their six month anniversary. She was pleased to find out that Freed looks amazing in jeans and a dress shirt.

Freed sighed and shrugged as he brushed his thumb over one of the scars on his wrist. He couldn't understand it. If his father wasn't planning on doing anything to get Freed to come back home, then why would he have been captured and tortured? It could have only been a plot to destroy Fairy Tail to begin with, and forcing Freed to come home was just a perk. If he had been killed in captivity, there was still Christophe to take over the business. Then again, Christophe had written that message saying that their father was sick, so maybe he had died and Christophe was going to leave them alone.  _If father died, wouldn't someone have told me?_ , Freed thought sadly. "I don't know, Lucy," he whispered.

Lucy frowned and put the brush down on the bed then pressed her chest to Freed's back while she kneeled behind him. She looked down to see him tracing his scars, a habit Freed had developed when he was thinking about his family. She reached down and brushed over the same scar, then lifted Freed's wrist to her mouth and kissed it gently. "Talk to me, sweetie."

Freed shook his head and sighed again. "It doesn't make sense," he whispered. "What is he waiting for?"

Lucy shrugged and said, "Who knows?" She sat back on her heels and picked up the hairbrush again. Lucy moved Freed's hair to one side and said, "You never told me about the scars on your shoulder blades."

One of the things Lucy had made him do to help move past what had happened was explain where each of his scars came from, and if there was any significance to them. There was a crescent-shaped wedge that had been taken from just above both of his hips that had something to do with one of the men wanting to try a new technique out. "Those two are specifically related to Fairy Tail," he whispered. Freed took a deep breath and said, "They said that I wasn't part of the guild anymore—that I wasn't a Fairy—so I didn't need to have wings. They cut out a large chunk of my skin where wings would have been to prove a point. They wanted me to feel disconnected from the guild in the hopes that I would start talking."

Just like Lucy had done with every other scar her told her about, she leaned forward and kissed the two large scars then rubbed her fingers across them until he wasn't tense. Freed refused to let anyone aside from his team see him without a shirt on because of his scars, and Lucy was determined to make him realize there was nothing wrong with them. Every time she touched a scar on him, she wanted Freed to realize that it was out of love and that he had nothing to be afraid of. "Well, they were wrong, Freed," Lucy said tenderly.

"How so?" he asked, turning around to face her. He kept his head lowered as he looked at his wrist.

She smiled at him and lifted his head so she could see his eyes. "They forgot that your wings can't be cut off. You'll just write new ones."

Freed fought the smile that wanted to spread across his face, and lost. He chuckled and shook his head. "You know just what to say to put a smile on my face," he said happily.

Lucy shrugged. "Not my fault you can fly any time you want," she said with a smirk. She squealed when Freed tackled her to the bed, and smiled into the kiss once his lips pressed against hers. Freed's hands ghosted up her sides, skimming lightly over her breasts before she smacked his hands away. "Uh-uh," she said between kisses, "You still have to… get ready… to go to the guild. Remember? It's… Christmas Eve."

Freed pulled back and dropped his head to Lucy's shoulder. "So close," he muttered.

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "Not even remotely, Freed. Besides, the team is gonna be here any minute to walk down with us." When Freed nodded sadly, Lucy said, "I'll make it up to you tonight. Remember that see-through lingerie Virgo gave me my first night here?"

Freed's head shot up and he stared at Lucy hungrily, causing her to blush and giggle.

She nodded at him and said, "You finally get to see it. Tonight after we get home. Think of it as an extra Christmas present." Lucy squealed again when Freed captured her lips in a heated kiss, then blushed when she heard the tell-tale popping sound of Freed's bedroom door opening.

"Ugh, Freed… Get off my sister," Laxus grumbled with a smile on his face. He burst out laughing when Lucy's hand shot up, with only her middle finger extended.  _Yep, definitely my sister,_  he thought as he walked out of the room.

Lucy sighed happily when Freed finally pulled away. He smiled down at her and said, "You gave him the finger again, didn't you?" He laughed when she grinned and nodded, then stood up and started to put on his shirt. He looked over at the beautiful blonde still lying on his bed once he was ready and walked over to help her up. Lucy smoothed down her hair and before she could ask how she looked, Freed whispered, "Beautiful, as always."

She would never get tired of hearing him say things like that. Lucy's heart melted every time he did it. Their fingers laced together and they walked down the stairs to see the rest of their team sitting on the couch. Smiling at them.

"Holy shit, Cosplayer has clothes that cover her body?!" Bickslow shouted with a grin. The blonde had come down the stairs wearing skin-tight black pants tucked into a pair of black boots that went halfway up her calf with light brown fur lining the edges, and a white turtleneck that hugged her in all the right places.

Lucy nodded with a smirk and said, "Sparky over there said I was going to freeze my tits off if I didn't wear more."

"Hey, I said if you didn't wear more  _during the winter_!" Laxus shouted indignantly. He sat back and crossed his arms, then muttered, "Just don't want you getting sick…"

"Awwww, so sweet!" Evergreen crooned as she snapped a picture of a grumpy Laxus. It had been weird at first seeing Laxus treating Lucy like she really was his little sister, but when they saw how happy the two blondes were—smiling even when they argued over something as simple as what to watch on tv—it all seemed like it had always been that way. No one envied her either, since they didn't think they would be able to handle Laxus doting on them over little things. Evergreen smiled at the thought of Laxus finding someone that he could have that kind of relationship with, and it was absolutely adorable when he got embarrassed for caring. She turned back to Lucy and Freed, then pointed at the ceiling above them.

The couple looked up and sighed. Mistletoe. Lucy turned to Evergreen and raised an eyebrow. "Really, Ever?" Before Lucy could get much further, Freed spun her around and cupped her cheeks before pulling her into a soft kiss. There was the flash of Evergreen's camera, and then the kiss ended with Lucy blushing.

"Besides, Lulu," Evergreen started. " _I_  didn't put that up there…"

"Then who did?" Lucy turned back to glare at the Fairy mage.

Evergreen pointed at Bickslow, but before Lucy could yell at him his hands flew into the air. "It wasn't  _really_  me… My babies put it up there!"

Lucy paused, then smiled. "Oh, why didn't you just say so?"

Everyone sweatdropped and Bickslow said, "That's all it took?"

Lucy nodded happily as they all grabbed their coats and walked outside. Lucy's was a dark red fur-lined coat that fit her perfectly, and bore a striking resemblance to the coat of a certain blond that had decided to give her an early Christmas present. As they made their way towards the guild Lucy put on her gloves, then laced her fingers with Freed's and hummed happily. She loved winter, and halfway there she squealed in delight as it started to snow.

"Oi! What the hell, Blondie?!" Laxus shouted, staring at her like she had lost her mind.

Freed chuckled as Lucy danced ahead of them and spun in happy circles. "She loves winter, Laxus. Her mother got sick just as spring started, so the last memories she has with her mother out having fun is in the snow."

Everyone looked at Lucy sadly for a moment. That is, until she tipped her head back and stuck out her tongue with her mouth hanging open. Their sadness instantly disappeared when she caught a snowflake and squealed again.

Lucy skipped back to the rest of her team and laid her head happily on Freed's shoulder. "This Christmas is gonna be perfect," she whispered.

"Why's that, Cosplayer?" Bickslow asked.

"Perfect boyfriend, perfect big brother, perfect team, perfect guild," Lucy chirped, pointing to Freed, then Laxus, then Evergreen and Bickslow, and finally to the guild itself.

Evergreen smiled warmly as they reached the guild doors. She pushed them open and the all watched Laxus turn a flying table into ashes with his lightning before striding over to Mira. Everyone headed over to their team's table and got settled while they waited for Mira to get their drinks.

* * *

Lucy smirked and stifled a moan as she lowered herself onto Freed, pushing his manhood slowly into her waiting heat. She stilled when he moved and grunted, and then slowly leaned forward to press a kiss to his lips. "Freed," she whispered as she brushed his hair away from his face.

No response.

Lucy rolled her hips and heard him groan, but his eyes stayed closed. "Freed, wake up…" she purred as she kissed his neck.

Freed mumbled something unintelligible, still half in the dream he was having about Lucy spread out beneath him.

Lucy sat up and pulled him almost completely out of her, then slammed down and moaned loudly. She smirked when Freed's eyes shot open and he grunted. Lucy rolled her hips again and started to ride him, moaning when he immediately moved his hands to tease her nipples.

"Oh, Lucy," Freed groaned as she swirled her hips around once he was fully sheathed inside of her, his head falling back and his eyes closing at the new sensation. She leaned forward and he pulled a nipple greedily into his mouth, then grabbed her hips to help her keep moving. He circled his tongue slowly around the pink bud, then lightly closed his teeth on it causing Lucy to ride him harder. Freed grunted again when her walls started fluttering around him, and he rolled so that Lucy was lying on the bed.

Lucy gasped once her back was pressed against the bed. Freed instantly took over and never paused, kissing across her chest to lave his tongue over her other nipple while he plunged into her soaking depths. Her hands moved across his chest, feeling every muscle that bunched up and loosened as he picked up speed. She was already screaming his name, her fingers digging into his shoulders as her climax approached.

Freed trailed kisses up Lucy's chest and his mouth shot to hers, his tongue instantly diving inside to glide along hers. His hands skimmed down her body, and he marveled at the shiver than coursed through her at just that simple touch. He lifted one of her legs and threw it over his shoulder, angling himself slightly before pounding into her again and again.

Lucy's mouth ripped away from his when he changed the angle, her whole body beginning to quake in anticipation of the orgasm that was coming at her full-speed. Freed never slowed down, his mouth moving to nibble on the vein in her neck while groans spilled from him. "That's it… Oh God… Right there, Freed!"

She was driving him absolutely mad with the noises she made. He felt every small movement, every shuddering breath, and every tightening of her sex when he gave her what she wanted. His breath hitched when Lucy arched her back and changed the way he pounded into her. It tightened his whole body up in one stroke, and her walls fluttered around him in anticipation at the same time. "Tell me what you want, baby," he rasped, his tongue sliding down her throat until he nipped at her collar bone.

"Freed… Ngh… M-More…" Lucy moaned. Her eyes widened when his hand shot between them and his thumb roughly circled around her clit. Her eyes rolled back and her back arched again, trying to meet his powerful thrusts. She was so close to her orgasm it was almost painful, and she could tell Freed was right there with her. Still, he slammed into her, his free hand wrapping under her lower back in an almost bruising grip.

Freed felt Lucy's body go rigid, and smirked as he used a small amount of magic to speed up even more and finally threw them both over the edge, the other's name on their lips. Freed tried to catch his breath while he carefully withdrew from Lucy's sex and threw away the condom. Once he was lying next to her again, his lips closed over hers and his hand smoothed up her back to rest gently on her neck. "Good morning to you too, Lucy," Freed whispered once their lips parted.

Lucy blushed and giggled before saying, "Good morning, Freed. Merry Christmas." She curled up next to him and sighed happily before the clock on the nightstand caught her eye. Lucy sat up on her elbow and gasped. "Freed, it's almost 7:00! We're supposed to meet everyone at the guild for presents in an hour!"

Freed chuckled and nodded, but pulled Lucy tightly against him when she tried to get out of the bed. "Relax, we've got plenty of time," he whispered, nuzzling his nose into her hair. He laughed when Lucy started to get restless after a few minutes and whispered, "Go ahead and get the shower started. I'll be there in a minute."

Lucy grinned and gave Freed a quick peck on the cheek before jumping out of the bed and skipping into the bathroom. She turned on the water to the shower, and while it warmed up brushed her hair and teeth, then took off her eye patch.

Freed watched Lucy with a smile on his face. Once the door to the bathroom was closed, and the shower was running, Freed stood up and walked over to the dresser. He traced a finger over the frames of each of the three pictures there: the day the Raijinshuu was officially formed in a basic black frame, the newest Raijinshuu team picture in a matching black frame, and his first picture with Lucy while they were playing the piano in a silver filigreed frame. He heard a soft hum of delight from the bathroom and knew that Lucy had finally gotten under the spray of the shower. Freed opened the top drawer and pushed past his socks to pull out the small jewelry box.  _Tonight_ , he thought happily when he opened it to reveal the gold ring nestled in the plush red velvet.

"Freed?" Lucy called from the shower while she shampooed her hair. "Did you fall asleep again?" She giggled at the thought. Freed had a tendency to sleep in whenever he got the chance. It had been a surprise to her at first, since he was so strict about getting things done by a certain time, but she quickly realized that she was the reason he wanted to sleep in when his excuse every morning was that he was 'too comfy' to move.

Freed closed the ring box and put it in the back of the drawer, nestled underneath his socks once more. He took a deep breath and opened the door to the bathroom. "I'm awake, Lucy," he said with a chuckle as he stepped into the shower. "You made sure of that."

* * *

Lucy was grinning from ear to ear as they made their way to the guild. She had asked Virgo to deliver all of the presents she and Freed had gotten for everyone to the guild after she got out of the shower, and felt the small pulse when Virgo returned to the Spirit World letting her know that it was finished.

"You seem very excited," Freed said, stealing a glance at the woman next to him.

Lucy nodded and said, "I can't wait for you to open your present!" She stopped dead in her tracks a moment later, her body going tense and shifting immediately into a fighting stance. "Freed, take off your gloves," she whispered. "Something's wrong." She tore off her gloves and put one hand in her pocket to wrap her fingers around her keys.  _I can never feel them as well with gloves on…_

Freed did as she said, quickly tucking his gloves into a pocket of his jacket and placing a hand on his sword as he looked around.

"It seems we have been detected," a deep voice said solemnly from behind the pair.

Lucy and Freed whirled around to see a tall, lanky man with piercing blue eyes and platinum blonde that was braided, the woven strands hanging loosely over his shoulder and down to his hips. He wore clothing similar to Freed, except it was all black with small golden accents.

"No fun," another voice piped in with a pout. The owner of the second voice slowly stepped out from behind the man and she giggled with a wicked grin. She was young, looking like she could be Wendy's age, with bright pink hair in a pixie cut, and a black fringe of bangs reaching down to cover her eyebrows. She had a baby pink pea-coat that hung down to her knees, light green eyes that shone with innocent mischief, and rosy cheeks. Her legs were covered in a pair of dark jeans and she had a pair of dark brown boots than covered just up to her ankles. She definitely looked like a child, and could easily have been considered sweet and innocent if it wasn't for the look on her face. The one that promised tons of misery for whoever she faced.

"It's alright, Eden," the blond man said with a smirk. "We're just here to pick up our package, then we can go."

Eden turned and pouted at the man. "Aw, c'mon Ren! I just wanna have some fun!" She glanced at the two mages in front of them and said, "I wanna know how she got through my runes!"

Lucy kept her face blank, tensing in response to Eden's words.  _She's the one that made the prison Freed was in._ Lucy's keys vibrated against her hand, letting her know that they were watching and ready to come out. Even Aquarius was offering her support.

"I'm surprised, Freed," Ren said, his smirk still dancing across his face and his brown eyes looking up and down Lucy's body. "How did you manage to get such a hottie? Even with that eye patch and scar, she's still good enough for a night."

"What do you want?" Freed asked, his mask firmly in place. He wasn't going to waste time answering silly questions, though his blood had begun to boil when Ren brought up bedding Lucy.

"We were sent to pick you up and bring you back to your  _daddy_ ," Eden sneered. "Little rich boy didn't like have everything handed to him, huh?"

"Eden, that's enough." Ren held up his hand and glared at the young girl, then turned back to face Freed and Lucy with a small smile. "As my companion has said, we are here to escort you back to your father's estate. It would be wise to come quietly. We have been ordered to leave your…" He glanced a Lucy, a slight look of disgust crossing his face before he masked it, "Mistress… unharmed as long as you comply."

"And if he doesn't?" Lucy spat.  _How dare he look at me that way!_

Eden giggled, "If he doesn't, then we'll kill you and make him watch!"

Lucy looked at the girl for a moment, anger filling her. Freed had been through enough at the hands of his father, she wasn't going to let them take him without a fight.  _Pain_ , she thought and smirked internally as Eden fell to the ground screaming.

Freed shot forward, pulling his sword from its sheathe and swiping it at Ren's chest. The attack was blocked by a bright pink runic barrier, and he flew back as his attack was reflected.

Eden was writhing on the ground in extreme pain, but she forced herself to get back up and blocked out the pain that was radiating through her.

 _Fear_ , Lucy thought as she tilted her head to the side, her fist going up to her chest in mock concern while she kept the Pain spell in place and added Fear on top of it. Eden dropped to the ground again, her screams completely different than before. She tore at her face and arms, ripped out her hair while she was filled with horrifying images that could literally scare her to death if Lucy kept the spell going long enough. She had added training with Freed's magic to her daily routine, and had quickly discovered that she didn't have to say the spell out loud. Since it was so similar to summoning her spirits, she tried to use the same principle to cast the spells, and it worked. Lucy's eyebrows pushed together in concern and she softly asked Ren, "Is she alright?"

Freed smirked internally when he saw what Lucy was doing. She had taken her training very seriously when it came to using his magic, but he was still able to recognize which spells she used based on the screams of their enemy.  _Pain and Fear, that's my Lucy._  He tried to figure out what the rules for Ren's runic barrier were, keeping a defensive stance in case he needed it.

"Interesting," Ren said with a smirk, his eyes glancing off to just behind the blonde in front of him.

Lucy saw Ren's eyes flicker briefly behind her, and she instantly reacted.  _Leo,_  Lucy called out as she touched the Zodiac Leader's key. A bright flash of gold appeared behind her and she heard Leo grunt in exertion as he blocked an attack that was aimed for her. "Thank you, Leo," Lucy said as she kept her eyes trained on the two in front of them.

"Anything for my Princess," Leo called back before turning his full attention on the woman in front of him.  _Requip? Seriously, this is just sad…_  He watched in amusement as a light appeared around the woman's hand, slowly fading until a katana was revealed.

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way," Ren sighed. He looked over at the almost defeated form of the Requip mage they had brought with them. "Looks like Yuki is done for… And I had such high hopes for her…" Just as he finished talking, there was a pained cry that could just barely be heard over Eden's screams, and Yuki fell to the ground unconscious.

Lucy had to let the spells on Eden go before she killed the girl. Sighing internally that it hadn't seemed to affect Ren in the slightest, she cut off the magic and watched Eden twitch and whimper on the ground. "She doesn't look so good," Lucy whispered innocently. She looked over at Ren and silently cast Pain. And nothing happened.

Ren smirked at the blonde. "So it was you all along little girl. I guess we'll have to change that." Before either mage could react, thick iron shackles shot from the ground and locked around Lucy's wrists, pulling them away from her body, then forcing her down to her knees on the ground.

Freed realized just as Lucy was chained up what the runes were. Her spell hadn't gone through them, and neither had his attack. It was a reflection barrier similar to his own, but it also had anti-magic runes mixed in so that only Ren's magic would be allowed inside of it.

A shock of electricity ran through Lucy, and she felt her magic instantly cut off. Leo shouted out, trying to get to her, and then disappeared. The hum of her keys had stopped, and even her eye patch had stopped working. She lost her depth perception as the eye patch became completely opaque in front of her left eye, and noticed that the acuity of her vision had greatly decreased. Another stronger jolt, strong enough to match Laxus' lightning, coursed through her and she screamed out in pain.

"Leave her alone!" Freed shouted, standing protectively in front of Lucy and facing off against Ren. They were only a couple of blocks from the guild, the boisterous laughter of their guildmates during their Christmas celebration filtering down the empty streets.  _Surely someone else will come by and distract him long enough for me to get her away from here,_  Freed thought with the last shreds of his hope.

"Come with us and she goes free," Ren said simply, a wicked grin spreading across his face. "You don't want her to get hurt, do you?" Just as he asked the question, Ren shot a stronger burst of magic through the shackles, wracking the blonde woman's body with violent tremors and ripping another scream from her throat.

Once the pain stopped, and Lucy could breathe again, she said, "Don't worry about me, Freed. Go to the guild. Tell them what's—"

Her voice was cut off by another scream. Ren eyed the blonde that Freed stood in front of, slightly impressed that she had been able to withstand two shocks from him even after he cut off her magic.  _She should already be unconscious…_  She was panting, tears staining her cheeks, and her body still shaking in the aftermath of those shocks, but she was still upright on her knees and defiantly glaring at him.

Freed couldn't take it anymore. Lucy's screams—a sound he never wanted to hear—echoed in his mind, and the darkness inside of him that had come to treasure her just as deeply as he had filled him. Freed felt his magic flowing and before he could even say the incantation, his body shifted into his Darkness form. He lunged at Ren, punching the runic barrier as hard as he could and ignoring the wounds that were reflected on him. Freed growled low in his throat, circling around and finding the weak point in the runes. One hit was all it took to break the barrier, and he reached out and grabbed Ren by the throat, then pulled his hand back to use his Flare Bomb and knock the man out.

"I'd stop if I were you," Eden rasped. She smirked and held a knife to Lucy's throat, pressing into the flesh enough for the skin to break and a fresh line of blood travel down her neck. "I'll kill her right now, Freed."

Freed stopped and his eyes widened when he saw Lucy. Tears were still running down her face, sadness and guilt wafting off of her. What caught his attention the most was the blade that was pressing against her fair skin, and the blood that dripped down. "Don't…" he growled, his grip on Ren's throat tightening.

Ren smirked.  _Good girl, Eden._  He used Freed's distraction to palm the small syringe in his pocket.

"Shift back and come with us," Eden said coolly. "I won't tell you again."

"Don't listen to them, Freed!" Lucy shouted, seeing the doubt in his eyes. "Go to the guild! Please! Just don't worry about me!"

Freed dropped Ren to the ground and walked over to Lucy, then knelt in front of her as he shifted back. "I can't let you get hurt. I swore I wouldn't…" he whispered. Before he could decide what to do, he felt a pinprick in the back of his neck, and exhaustion swept through him.

"Freed!" Lucy shouted, lunging forward and wincing when the blade against her throat pressed more tightly to her. "Let me go!"

Ren smirked as Freed fell to his hands and knees. "He'll be out soon, Eden. Let the girl go," he said as he walked over to Yuki's prone form. She was just starting to stir, but he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder before returning to the trio on the ground.

"C'mon, Ren. Just let me finish her off!" Eden pouted.

"Orders are orders," he said sternly. "We're taking him with us. She goes free."

"Lucy," Freed whispered through the fog that surrounded him. "I'm sorry…"

Lucy felt Eden pull the blade away with a huff, then lunged forward again and rested her head on Freed's shoulder. "It's okay, sweetie," she whispered back, kissing his cheek. "I love you."

"I… love you…" he whispered just as darkness filled his vision. He breathed in her vanilla and strawberry scent one more time before the exhaustion and darkness overpowered him. Then, he fell to the ground.

Lucy looked at Freed for a moment, then dropped her own head in defeat. She knew that Ren and Eden weren't close enough to hear her, but she didn't want to take any chances. Lucy sobbed openly and kissed Freed's hair just before he was pulled away from her. She watched as Ren dragged him across the ground, and Eden activated a mass teleportation rune that surrounded them.

"Don't come after him," Ren said, glancing briefly at Eden. "You won't be able to make it out of Magnolia if you try." Then they were gone.

Lucy screamed into the heavens as Freed disappeared, sobbing until she couldn't any longer. After half an hour, the shackles disappeared and she curled up in a ball while her magic returned to her. She was cold and alone again.  _I have to get him back,_  she thought.  _But… how?_  Lucy opened her eyes and saw fresh snow falling to the ground, then a faint glimmer of light caught her eye. Carefully, she sat up and crawled towards it, noting how much snow had actually fallen while she had been crying. She put her gloves on quickly to try and return some warmth to her body, and then cleared the snow away from the object that caught her attention. Her tears started anew when she uncovered the Fairy Tail symbol on the hilt of Freed's sword.

 _Freed,_  Lucy thought sadly as she pulled the sword close to her. She had to get to the guild and tell them what happened. They would know what to do. Lucy stood to her feet slowly, her whole body aching from the jolts of electricity that had shot through her before. She walked the last two blocks to the guild alone. She was alone again. Freed was gone, and it was her fault. Her sadness leaked away from her, followed by her guilt and everything else she felt until she was completely empty. She was completely numb from the inside out, only feeling Freed's sword in her hand and the vibration of her keys as they tried to console her. She didn't have enough magic for any of them to open their gates yet, and she didn't want any of them with her right then as it was.

Laxus looked over at the door to the guildhall when it quietly opened, a fresh flurry of snow flying inside just as Lucy walked in. He frowned when he realized Freed wasn't with her, and stood up to walk over to the blonde and find out where the guy was.  _They know it's still not safe for them to be alone,_  he though as he started to move through the crowd. Something was wrong, he could feel it.

Lucy heard the happy cheers of everyone in the guild when she walked in, but her eyes stayed on the floor. She had to find Makarov and her team. She needed to tell them what happened, then find a way to bring Freed back. It was the only way to fill the emptiness inside of her.

"Hey, Luce!" Natsu shouted happily as he ran up to his friend. "Where have you been? We were waiting for you guys!"

Lucy felt a presence rushing up to her and quickly slashed at it with Freed's sword. She didn't want to see anyone but her team. She didn't care who it was, because she knew it wasn't anyone that she needed right then. All she needed was Freed, and he was gone. She was alone. Empty and alone.

Natsu jumped back and winced at the small gash that ran across his stomach. "What the hell, Luce!" he screamed.  _Why'd she hit me with Freed's sword? Where is that guy anyway?_  He moved to grab her again, but pulled his hand back just as she swung the sword once more. Her eyes never left the floor, but he could smell her tears. "Luce?" Natsu whispered, concern lacing his voice.

Laxus' eyes widened when Lucy attacked Natsu. It wasn't the attack itself as much as the fact that she had Freed's sword in her hand. Then she attacked him a second time without so much as looking at him.  _Something happened… Lucy…_  He pushed more forcefully past everyone, his body crackling with lightning to get them to move, and rushed over to Lucy. He paused just out of reach of the sword, looking around at everyone in the guild and silently telling them to stay away. Carefully, Laxus took a step forward, letting his magic flow back into him to make himself as unintimidating as possible. Lucy tensed, her grip on Freed's sword tightening as she prepared to lash out at him, and Laxus froze.

"What happened to Luce?" Natsu asked softly. A new scent hit his nose, one he would never forget. Lucy's blood. She was bleeding somewhere, but it wasn't enough to make him rush at her. Natsu looked at Laxus and said, "She's been crying… and bleeding, Laxus."

Laxus sniffed the air, and couldn't believe he missed it. Tears and blood. Freed's scent was all over her as usual, but it was faint—too faint for how long it should have taken them to get from his house to the guild. He took another pull of the air, focusing only on Lucy's emotions, and didn't smell a thing. There was no sadness or guilt or even happiness. It was all gone. Suddenly, he didn't care what anyone else in the guild thought of him or how strong he was. Everyone knew that Lucy was like a sister to him, but he made sure to keep a little distance and not joke around as much when they were here.  _Lucy needs me,_  Laxus thought as he took another step forward and said, "Little sis?"

Lucy heard his voice. The deep rumbling voice of her big brother, Laxus. Her head slowly rose to meet his gaze and she took a deep breath. She needed to be strong. Freed needed her to be strong so they could find a way to save him. Lucy felt a small pang of sadness inside of her at the look on Laxus' face, but it drifted away as quickly as it came.  _Emotions are a weakness,_  she told herself.  _I can't be weak._  "Laxus," she said softly, her voice oddly monotone.

Laxus took another step forward, and when she didn't move but just stared at him, he closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. Lucy tensed, and he pulled away to look at her. "Lucy, what happened?" he asked as he searched her eyes for any clues. He didn't see anything. The light that always sat in her had dulled completely. It was as if an empty husk that looked like his little Blondie was standing in front of him.

"They took him," she said flatly. "We were walking here from home, and they took him." Lucy knew that she should have felt anger or sadness over what happened, but it never came.

"We need to talk to Master. They could still come back for you," Laxus said softly, turning to lead her to Makarov's office.

"No," Lucy whispered. She pulled Laxus' hand and he instantly stopped to look at her. "They said if he went with them, I would be set free."

"Whaddya mean 'set free', Luce?" Natsu asked loudly.

Lucy turned to look at Natsu, and saw the shock in his eyes. "I mean… I was shackled to the ground with no magic, getting electrocuted in the middle of the street. Freed tried to save me instead of coming here to get help. Eden put a knife to my throat when Freed was choking Ren, and then Freed dropped him and came back to me. He knelt down in front of me, and Ren came up behind him and stuck a needle in his neck to knock him out. They left with Freed and their companion Yuki using Eden's teleportation runes."

Evergreen gasped, tears filling her eyes as she heard Lucy's explanation of what happened. The blonde's voice was devoid of all emotion, as if there wasn't anything she was capable of feeling any longer. "We have to go get him!" she shouted, rushing forward to stand in front of Lucy.

"We can't," Lucy replied simply. "There's no way for us to leave Magnolia to go search for him. Eden put up runes around the city."

"They told you that?" Laxus asked.

"No, it was in Ren's tone when he said it, and he glanced at her. She used runes to protect him but not herself, and he was clearly the superior," Lucy answered. She looked down at Freed's sword in her hand and lightly touched the Fairy Tail emblem. "It took thirty minutes for the shackles to disappear once they were gone. I was lying in the snow for a while until I saw his sword."

"Luce, shouldn't you be more upset by this? I mean, Freed's your boyfriend!" Natsu shouted. He couldn't understand what was wrong with her. Lucy wore her heart on her sleeve, and let everyone see just what she was feeling. Now he couldn't even smell her emotions, and it was as if they didn't exist at all.

"Natsu," Evergreen whispered harshly. "Not the time."

Lucy slowly raised her head to look at Natsu blankly. "What good will being emotional do, Natsu?" she whispered. "Emotions are a weakness. If Freed didn't love me, he would have been able to leave and get help. Instead, he stayed and tried to save me. And now… He's gone." Lucy's gaze went back to the ground as she continued. "There's no point in feeling anything, Natsu. He was the only one that understood everything about me, loved me no matter what. I've cried enough for a lifetime. Now, I'm just empty."

"Luce…" Natsu whispered sadly. His eyes filling with tears as he watched her walk away towards Makarov on the bar.

"I was too weak to save him from being taken," she said softly. "I won't be too weak to get him back." She looked at Makarov once she was in front of him, and carefully placed Freed's sword in his hands. "Master, I failed you, the guild, and Freed. As soon as I figure out how to get him back, I'll let you know what my plan is. If you don't agree with it, I'll do it anyway. With or without your support, I'll bring him home."

Just before Lucy's hands left the sword, Makarov placed his gently over hers. "Child, emotions are not a weakness. You of all people know how strong they can be."

"You're wrong this time, Master," Lucy said. "I don't have them anymore. Not without him." She pulled her hands from the sword and turned to walk out the door. She was going to pour through every book in Freed's library, the guild library, anything she could find, until she found a way to get to him. "I'll be at home, Laxus," she said as she walked past him. She knew he would worry about her, the whole guild was probably feeling that way, but she didn't care. She told Laxus where she would be so he knew where to find her. Lucy pushed the doors to the guild open and felt the wind and snow barrel into her, but there was no change in temperature from how she felt inside.

They all watched in silence as the guild's light disappeared. Bickslow walked up behind Laxus and placed a hand on his shoulder. When Laxus turned to face him, devastation written across his face and tears welling in his eyes, Bickslow said, "She's right, man. I saw it from the beginning, but I didn't want to say anything."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Laxus whispered, none of the fire that was usually present in his voice making it past the choked sob he let out at the end.

Bickslow sighed and took off his helmet to run a hand through his hair. "She can't feel anything without him. Her soul's probably the brightest I've ever seen in my life, and she made Freed's brighter when they got together. Now…" Bickslow sighed again, his lips turning down as he looked at the door. "Now she's just… empty."

"How's that even possible?" Evergreen asked as she put her coat back on. She was going to stay with Lucy and help any way she could. The girl needed someone on her side.

"Her soul's there, but it's only an outline," Bickslow explained as he put his helmet back on and grabbed his coat. "The rest of it is missing, like it never existed. She's got just enough to exist and have magic, but that's it. Everything that was who Lucy is has vanished…"

"So, if we get Freed back…" Evergreen said softly as the Raijinshuu made their way to the doors, ignoring everyone else inside.

" _When_  we get Freed back," Bickslow corrected, "She'll be back to normal again. It might take a little bit, but he'll bring back what's missing."

"We're gonna get him back, little sis," Laxus whispered to the sky as they walked toward Freed and Lucy's house. "I promise."


	9. The Search

Freed shot up in his bed, pouring sweat and panting.  _Lucy…_  He looked around and his heart began to ache. It all came back to him in an instant. He had been captured by mercenaries and brought back to his father's estate three days before. The last time he saw her, Lucy was shackled to the frozen ground and crying. He had failed her, failed to protect her and it killed him not knowing whether she was alive. Ren's injection had knocked him out, and he had woken up in this room. His old bedroom.

He refused to leave his room aside from attending meals, but even that was a chore for the staff. They had to fight with him three times a day to get him to go downstairs, and he saw the pity in each of their eyes. Freed looked down at his left hand sadly, running a finger over his green Fairy Tail mark.  _I wish I could go back…_

That first morning back, Freed had been escorted to his father's office to see both of his brothers and his parents sitting there waiting for him. He hadn't seen any of them in years, and with the Tenrou incident stealing seven years of his life, he was now the youngest of the three in appearance. His father looked a little sickly, the usual air of authority he had slightly diminished by the bags under his eyes and his thinning frame. Freed's mother was still as radiant and poised as ever, but he noticed that she had traded in her usual gowns for a more business-like appearance. Christophe and Avery were both dressed similarly to Freed, Christophe in green and Avery in black. Avery's green hair was pulled back in a high ponytail and his bangs reached down to his chin. Christophe's blonde hair was cut shorter than normal, barely hanging down to his ears with a small portion of his bangs lying over his left eye.

"Sit down, Freed," Mr. Justine said firmly, leaving no room for argument.

Freed bowed his head and moved to sit in the armchair directly in front of his father's desk. He kept his eyes pointed away from his father's face, looking intently at the piece of paper in front of the man, and waited for his father to speak.

"I see you have finally agreed to stop that foolishness and return," Mr. Justine mused, leaning back in his chair.

"I have made no such choice, sir," Freed said solemnly.

After a pause, with Mr. Justine's eyebrow raised in amusement, he leaned forward and placed a hand on the paper in front of him. "You will make that choice now," he said as he slid the paper across the desk.

Freed slowly leaned forward, thankful he had worn his gloves so no one could see his guild mark, and picked up the paper.

_I, Freed Justine, hereby renounce all ties to magic and any person or persons that are associated with the Fairy Tail guild. From this day forward, I shall only live to further the business in my family's name, working to improve the lives of those less fortunate than I. I will not attempt to flee from my fate, nor will I contact any persons, entities, organizations, or otherwise to do such in my stead._

"It is all right there, Freed," Mr. Justine said solemnly. He pushed a pen across the desk, then leaned back in his chair with a triumphant smirk. "Sign it, and let us be done with this nonsense."

Freed looked at the paper, keeping every emotion that rolled through him hidden behind the mask he had worn for so long.  _Renounce magic? Fairy Tail? That means giving up Lucy…_  He raised his head slowly and gave his father a blank look. "I refuse."

"You can't be serious!" Avery shouted. "You've wasted enough time with those… hooligans. It's time you learned your place like the rest of us!"

"Avery," Mrs. Justine whispered, placating him with a hand on his.

Freed looked at his family, then shook his head. He stared back at his father, defiantly meeting his dark green eyes, and tore the paper again and again until it was nothing more than confetti. "I will  _always_  be a Fairy Tail mage, father." Freed stood up slowly and turned to leave, and paused at the door to speak. "I will stay, but not for any of you." Freed took a shaky breath and opened the door before whispering, "I'll stay to keep her safe."

* * *

"Lucy, you have to eat," Evergreen whispered over the mound of books on the desk. "It's been three days since you had anything aside from water."

"There's no time, Evergreen," Lucy replied. She was still empty and numb, and the lack of feeling anything had become normal for her since Freed's disappearance three days prior.

"There  _is_  time to eat," Evergreen pushed. She was still holding a small salad in her hand in the hopes of getting something into the blonde's stomach. "You can eat and read at the same time, just like I do." The entire Raijinshuu had been staying at Freed and Lucy's house to help her in any way they could. They had read Freed's books, brought her more when she gave them a topic to search for, and even had Levy searching the guild's library. So far, they hadn't found anything that could be remotely helpful in getting Freed back to them. And nobody understood why Lucy was looking into so many different things at the same time.

"Ever, lemme try," Laxus whispered as he walked into the office. He placed his hand on the Fairy mage's shoulder lightly and took the bowl before she walked out and closed the door. "Sis, you have to eat something. Or sleep even," he said softly as he put the bowl down on a currently empty bookshelf.

"Can't," Lucy replied while pouring over the tomes in front of her. Her eyes darted from one book to the next while she tried to find some loophole in the laws of the land that could work to their advantage.

 _She looks just like Freed…_  Lucy's hair was tucked behind her ear and running down over her shoulders. She had on one of Freed's shirts with the sleeves rolled up, and a pair of black yoga pants, and sat in the Rune mage's office chair with her brow furrowed in concentration, her eyes darting from one book to the next while she looked for something just out of her grasp. "You can't keep going on like this, sis…" Laxus said with a frown. He leaned against the corner of the desk and looked down at her. "You need to keep your strength up if you're going to get him back. And you can't do that if you don't eat or sleep."

Lucy slowly lifted her gaze to look blankly at Laxus. "They could be torturing him right now, Laxus. He could have already died because I wasn't fast enough to save him," she whispered, her monotone voice making her words too calm.

"Freed wouldn't want you starving yourself," Laxus said firmly. "He loves you. You know he would tell you to eat."

"He would," Lucy said with a nod, her eyes returning to the books in front of her. "But, he's not here." She lost herself in the law books once more.

"Please," Laxus begged. "Please, just a bite. That's all, and then I'll let you work some more." He wasn't accustomed to begging anyone for anything, and a part of him bristled at the thought of begging Lucy just to eat something because she refused to do it. A much larger part of him, the part that had accepted her as his little sister, ached with the knowledge that he wasn't able to help her when she needed him. He and the rest of the team had been by her side for three days, working in shifts to stay with Lucy because she didn't sleep, and it had already started taking a toll on each of them. Bickslow had left the first night to vent his frustrations with the whole situation in his bed with Cana. Evergreen hadn't even bothered putting makeup on, since she would just smudge it while she cried after failing to help Lucy. Laxus kept it all bottled up, not letting either Ever or Bix see just how much it was affecting him that Freed was gone and Lucy was withering away right in front of their eyes.

Lucy ignored him and kept reading. She picked up her pen and went to write down a note on a few statutes that might be useful, then saw that she had no more room on the page and rotated it to write the statute numbers before returning to the books in front of her.

Laxus' eyes widened in shock when Lucy did the same thing that Freed always did while taking notes. His breath caught in his throat, and his chest tightened painfully. He took a shaky breath before saying, "You're so much like him, sis."

"I don't know what you mean by that, Laxus," Lucy replied, her eyes never leaving the books in front of her. She closed the book to her left while reading the book directly in front of her, and copying down another statute number. Once she put the pen down, Lucy grabbed her glass of room temperature water and took a sip, her eyes never leaving the book while she pulled another off of the floor and opened it.

"So, you're not gonna eat?" Laxus asked, his voice small and worried.

"I don't have time to eat, Laxus," Lucy stated. "There's too much information for me to sift through to take a break." Once she ran out of room completely, Lucy flipped the paper over and started writing more statute numbers.

"Why can't Gramps just file a complaint?" Laxus asked, exasperation filling his voice. "A guild member was captured and tortured. There was a threat to the guild, and your house was demolished. Then Freed gets captured again! We all know who's behind it, but Gramps says you won't let him report it!"

Lucy stopped reading and looked blankly at Laxus. "As the first and rightful heir to the Justine estate, Freed is required by law to be present in the event of his father's passing. Master Makarov has no legal right to claim that Freed was kidnapped, and any evidence we have to prove that it truly was kidnapping is circumstantial."

"So, there's no way to force them to give him back?" Laxus asked incredulously, his stormy eyes staring into her flat brown orb.  _She never lets us see her without the eye patch now…_

"No. Not from the guild's perspective. There are several laws that could be used in conjunction with one another to form a potential loophole, but I haven't found anything substantial to completely tie them all together," Lucy said. There was a rumbling growl in her stomach, but before Laxus could try and convince her to eat anything, she took another sip of water.

"What can I do to help?" Laxus was nearing his wit's end with worry over her. Lucy had replaced food with water, and only left the office to go to the bathroom, shower, or get another glass of water. Her keys were never on her anymore, always sitting in the same far corner of the desk—close enough for her to reach them, but far enough that she wouldn't be able to feel the spirits trying to soothe her.

"Stop talking so I can get back to work," Lucy stated, turning her attention back to the books in front of her. She heard Laxus sigh and watched out of the corner of her eye while he stood up and grabbed the salad from the shelf before leaving the room.  _Heritage, Lineage, Rites of Legacy, Rites of Succession._  She kept scanning over each of the sections in the table of contents of the new book before deciding that she would have to read the whole thing.

* * *

Laxus had given Evergreen and Bickslow the day off to spend at the guild. They both needed some fresh air, and watching over Lucy for a whole week wasn't doing them any good.  _It's not doing you any good either,_  a small voice inside of him shouted. He simply ignored it and continued making a cup of tea for Lucy. She still hadn't eaten, had only slept once during that first week after Freed had been taken, and was already looking weary.

He knew the only reason she had fallen asleep that one time was because her body couldn't take it anymore; after four days, her body gave out. He had walked out of the room after trying to get her to eat dinner, and failing, and when he came back a few minutes later Lucy's head was laying on top of the book she had been reading. She had passed out from complete exhaustion, and he didn't dare move her for fear she would wake up and start working again. Laxus had sat in a chair to watch over her, and only thirty minutes passed before she woke up and started reading as if nothing had happened.

Once the tea was ready, he carried it into the office and set it down on a bookshelf. "I made you some tea," he whispered, leaning on the edge of the desk and looking sadly at Lucy. She was pale, with dark circles under her eyes. Her blonde hair held none of its usual brilliance and luster, and he could see that she was starting to get thinner and sicklier in appearance.

"Water is fine, Laxus. You didn't need to make me tea."

Laxus sighed and picked up her empty water glass, replacing it with the tea cup. "You're out of water, Lucy. Drink the tea and I'll get you another glass, okay?"

Lucy nodded, then took some more notes. Her eyebrows were pushed together in further concentration since the book on runes she was reading was wavering slightly in her vision. She still didn't understand how she hadn't seen the protection runes around Ren that day. She was able to see Freed's barriers even though they appeared invisible to everyone else. She could see everyone's magic dancing across their skin, and how its intensity increased where their magic was focused most often or where it originated.  _Why didn't I see those runes?_

Laxus came back in with a fresh glass of water and a half sandwich. It was peanut butter and butter—one of Lucy's favorites—and he hoped that maybe she would at least take a bite. Instead of handing it to her, he walked over and set the glass down before pushing her back in her seat and standing in front of her.

"What do you need, Laxus?"

" _You_  need to eat. It's been a whole week since you've eaten anything, and it has to stop," he said firmly, a scowl marring his face. "Now, open up and eat."

Lucy looked directly into Laxus' eyes and blinked. Once. Twice. "Why are you doing this?" she asked after a few moments. "I need to keep researching."

Laxus pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. He held the sandwich in front of her and said, "Four bites, tops. And then you'll be done."

"There will be time for that later, Laxus," she said.

"Goddamnit, Lucy!" Laxus shouted, placing the food back on the small plate he'd brought it in on. "You're gonna fucking starve yourself to death!"

"Humans can live for more than three weeks without food. I haven't eaten in one week. I still have at least two more before it becomes a health risk," she stated, still staring into Laxus' stormy eyes. "I make sure to drink water, so I'm not dehydrated."

Laxus' head dropped, his anger at everything that was happening turning into a deep sadness that chilled him to the bone. "I don't know what else to do, Lucy… I can't help you if you won't let me."

"I don't need help, Laxus," Lucy replied.

"Everyone needs help! You're doing everything you can to help Freed, so—"

"You're wasting your time. I'm empty, and there's nothing left. If I don't get him back, then there's no reason for me to be alive in the first place. Not eating is just a different means to that end," she stated, her voice eerily flat while discussing her own possible demise.

Laxus dropped to his knees in front of her, watched as her eyes followed him instead of instantly going to the books on the desk. "You're wrong…" he whispered, feeling hot tears welling up in his eyes. "Everyone in the guild still loves you, Lucy. The team needs you… I need you…" He laid his forehead on her knees as his tears fell. "You're my sister. You know I don't let people get close to me, but you did it anyway. You're the closest thing I have to family aside from Gramps. I… I don't wanna lose you too…"

Lucy watched Laxus break down in front of her. She knew that if she was normal, she would have done everything in her power to make him happy again, and she would have cried along with him. Her sadness at seeing him cry, guilt for making him feel that way, and empathy for how he was feeling were all gone. They should have been there, nestled inside of her and eating away at her until she made things right, but they never came. All she could do was watch as his broad shoulders shook while he wept, and notice his tears making a trail from knees to her ankles, some droplets even landing on her bare feet.

She looked at the desk. Three distinct piles of books sat in front of her, organized by subject and towering high enough that she couldn't see the door. There were two notebooks filled with her own notes from the hundreds of books she had already gone through, and several blank ones waiting to be filled. There were six bags filled with scrolls she hadn't gotten to yet, and three more whole bookcases that were untouched. She saw the small sandwich that Laxus had made for her to eat, the now empty cup of tea, and the full glass of water.  _Peanut butter and butter,_  she realized as she looked at the food again. "You made my favorite sandwich," Lucy said, not realizing that her hand had moved to his head, her fingers lightly sifting through his hair.

Laxus shivered at the contact, but his eyes widened in shock when he realized that Lucy was running a hand through his hair.  _Lucy?_  She had only touched his hair a few times, mostly when they were joking around. He had only ever seen her touch Freed's hair the way she was now, and he didn't know what to do. "Yeah," he said, his voice rough and gravelly. "I hoped it would pique your interest more than a salad…"

Lucy nodded, then leaned over while keeping Laxus' head on her knees and picked up the sandwich. She took a bite of it, and realized that she couldn't taste anything. The texture of the bread and toppings were there, and she registered the differences between them, but there didn't seem to be any taste. She leaned back in the chair so the crumbs didn't fall on Laxus, and finished the sandwich. She was lost in thought while she ate, and once the sandwich was gone Lucy stared blankly at the desk while she mentally reviewed everything she had learned.

Laxus sat completely still and felt her other hand drop to his head, her nails dragging lightly across his scalp. Slowly, almost as if she was a wild animal and he was trying not get attacked, Laxus moved closer to her. It was obvious that she didn't realize what she was doing when he stole a quick glance up at her face to see it entirely blank and staring off into the distance. Once his chest was pressed to her shins, he realized that her legs had separated just enough for his broad chest to fit between them. Laxus didn't care at all what it looked like, or how much of a sissy he might seem to be while he curled himself around Lucy. She was unconsciously comforting him, and he was letting her. He had stayed by her side no matter what, and while Evergreen and Bickslow left to collect themselves, he hadn't taken the time to do it. The small amount of comfort Lucy was giving him right then was like a godsend, and he latched onto it in the hopes that one day she would be back to normal.

Laxus carefully moved forward until his chest hit the edge of the chair, his head moving up to lay on her stomach, and his arms wrapping around her as best as he could manage. Her hands never stopped moving through his spiky locks, even while he readjusted himself to be more comfortable. He closed his eyes and sighed deeply, letting himself relax for the first time in a week.  _She ate. She's comforting me. There's gotta be something inside of her that's still working…_  Lucy's hands slowed and eventually stopped moving altogether while still tangled in his hair, and Laxus listened intently to figure out what she might be doing.

Even breathing, a light snore. Laxus smirked when he realized she had fallen asleep again. He nestled himself closer to Lucy and kept his eyes closed before sleep took him as well.

* * *

Freed looked down at his wrists while he sat in his bed. His eyes travelled over the few scars that could be seen peeking out from under his nightshirt. He pulled the sleeves down and looked at the clock. It was just before seven, so he had time to shower before being dragged down to breakfast by one of the maids. He got up and grabbed his clothing for the day that had been selected for him by someone. He didn't care what it was, as long as he was covered. Freed was positive that no one knew what his father had done in the name of getting him back, and he couldn't bear to let anyone see him as it was. Lucy and his team were the only ones that he felt comfortable enough around to allow it.

He stripped down, avoiding the large mirror, and turned on the shower. While it warmed up, Freed brushed his hair and teeth, then stepped under the spray of warm water. He sighed and let the water cascade down his body, but all he could think about was Lucy. He had planned on asking her to marry him on Christmas night while they were relaxing in front of the fireplace at home. Once Freed found out that Lucy loved reading in front of the fire, they had spent every night doing just that before they went to bed.  _I miss her so much…_  Freed absently started to clean himself, washing and conditioning his hair, then running the lathered washcloth over his body.

He remembered every moment of that morning. How she had woken him up, end every bit of their time together before they left the house. They had taken a shower together, and ended up taking more time than usual because he couldn't keep his hands to himself. They had gotten dressed, and told each other riddles while ate a small breakfast before leaving with just enough time to make it to the guild on time for everyone to open their gifts. Lucy's smiling face popped into his mind, a light blush across her cheeks and her eyes half-lidded and fully sated. Freed pictured her over and over, each time doing something different. Playing the piano together, reading by the fire, curling up next to him to fall asleep. He saw the way she looked now, her hair longer than she usually allowed because she had found out that he liked how it looked, the scar running down her face, her eye patch transparent only for him to see, and the red fur-lined coat Laxus had given her just as the weather started to cool down. Then he saw Lucy as she had been the morning after she saved him. The scar was still a gash, the scab barely having formed over it in the night. Her eyes were both that decadent chocolate brown and shining with delight, and a small smile spread across her face. She was lying her chin on his chest and running her fingers through his hair.  _I know that smile,_  Freed thought fondly. He realized it was his memory of her riddle, of how she had outsmarted him for the first time. When he had asked her to be his girlfriend.

Freed let out a choked sob, barely stifling it just in case someone came in to check on him. He dropped to the ground and felt the tears burning in his eyes and leaving searing marks down his cheeks. "Lucy…" he whispered. She had been the one to show him that it was alright to cry, to show emotions. She taught him that they weren't a weakness. Right then, Freed wished that he couldn't feel a thing. He missed her more than anything, and he wished that the ache inside of him would vanish. Even if it was only a moment, just long enough for him to feel like he wasn't being tortured all over again. Lucy was the only light in his life, and she was gone. He had been taken away from her, and he would never know if she was alright. If she was alive. He had to hope that they had left her alone, and knew that if they had she would be safe with the team. Laxus would watch over her while she grieved their loss. There was no way for Freed to go back, no matter how much he wanted to. His father would target Lucy if he left, and Freed couldn't allow that.  _I'll protect you, Lucy_ , he thought sadly.  _I may not be able to be with you, but I'll keep you safe in any way I can from here._

* * *

Another week had passed. Two whole weeks, and Lucy didn't seem any closer to finding the answers she was looking for. She continued reading day and night. She hardly ate more than once every other day, and it was usually only after Laxus begged and pleaded with her to take just a single bite. She slept only when her body gave out completely, and never for more than two hours before waking up and starting back on her research. "Please, Lucy. Just a little bit…" Laxus said softly, holding the bowl with a small salad in his hand. "Please…"

"Laxus, she's not going to eat," Evergreen said sadly from the doorway. "Just leave her be until dinner, then we can try again."

Laxus glanced back at Evergreen, his grief at how things were turning out showing in his face. "I can't, Ever… She needs someone to be take care of her."

"It's not your fault that this happened," she said, wiping away a tear quickly. Laxus had been riddled with guilt over everything that happened, thinking that if he had just gone to walk with them to the guild like he usually did then Freed would have been okay. "No one could have known they would come for him on Christmas."

Laxus' head lowered and he slowly shook it as he closed his eyes. "That's not the point. Regardless of how I feel about this, Lucy can't do this alone. She's more concerned with searching for answers than taking care of herself. I won't lose her too…"

"But—"

Bickslow walked up to the office door and put a hand on Evergreen's shoulder. "Let him try," he whispered. "He's the only one that can get her to eat in the first place."

Evergreen turned to Bickslow, tears in her eyes. "I just don't understand it…"

The Seith mage carefully led the crying brunette into the living room and sat her down on the couch. "Ever, she's his sister," he said softly, running hand through his hair once he took off his helmet. "He's scared he's gonna lose her. Freed's gone, Lucy's a fucking mess, and it's tearing him up. Haven't you noticed that Laxus has been crying?"

"I know that, but—"

"But, nothing. You and I both know that Laxus doesn't let shit get to him, and yet… He's cried almost every day this week. He hasn't left here in two weeks. Two whole weeks of sticking by Lucy's side to keep an eye on her," Bickslow said with worry furrowing his brow. "Even when you and I leave to visit the guild, or to take a break from trying to figure this shit out, or go to get groceries, he's here. He's not gonna give up on her, because the last thing she needs is to lose someone  _else_  that she cares about."

"Lucy hardly even says two words to us," Evergreen whispered. "It's like we're not even here."

Bickslow shook his head and smiled sadly. "She knows we're here. It's just like Freed when he's researching something—he knows you're standing right there, but he won't say anything to you unless he has something to say. She hasn't found anything, so there's nothing for her to say to us."

"Why doesn't Master come down here and try to talk to her?" Evergreen asked before her tears took over.

Bickslow sighed and ran a hand through his hair again. "Laxus won't let him. He says it would be too hard on the old man seeing Lucy like this. It's the same reason no one else has come by… They're helping in any way they can, but they have to do it from the guild. He's trying to protect her."

"How is that protecting her? Lulu loves being around people. She even told us that she hates being alone more than anything…"

"You're right, but that's why Laxus won't leave. Anyone else who comes by will just pity her, try to hug her, or get her to snap out of it. That's not what she needs… She only lets him get remotely close to her, you remember how we found them last week in the office? He was laying on her lap, her hands were in his hair, and they were both passed out."

Evergreen nodded, wiping away her tears with a sniffle. "I miss her. I just want to see her smile again…"

Bickslow wrapped and arm around Evergreen's shoulders and pulled her closer. "I do too, Ever. Think about it this way: she might not even realize what's going on with everyone else, because she's set on bringing Freed back. She's lost everyone she's ever cared about. Her parents, her old team, and now Freed. Every other time someone's been taken from her, she had no control over it and she was left alone to pick up the pieces. Her mom died, and there was nothing she could do; and her dad just ignored her. Her dad died while we were stuck on Tenrou, and there was no way for her to change it; he was the last of her family. Her team got disbanded, but there was no way for her to tell Master anything different; she was left to fend for herself. Freed got taken right in front of her eyes, and she was helpless to do anything about it because she was chained to the ground with no magic. She tried her damnedest to stop them from taking him, and she failed… Now, she's trying to fix it because she knows that there's a way… She just has to find it." He paused and took a deep breath before adding, "Laxus won't abandon her like everyone else has in the past."

Evergreen shook her head, then wrapped her arms around Bickslow's waist while she cried. "It's not fair," she whispered. "They didn't deserve any of this…"

"I know, Ever," Bickslow said softly. "We'll figure it out and get Freed back. Then we can figure out how to help Lucy get back to normal."

~.~

"C'mon, sis. Just a little," Laxus said softly while he watched Lucy quickly flipping pages back and forth in the books on the desk. He had a little hope because of how fast she was working through the books, almost as if she had found something that could be helpful, and was following that small shred of evidence to see where it went.

After a few minutes, the words started to blur together slightly, and pressure had started building behind her eyes. It was then that Lucy realized there was one thing she hadn't done to try and get information. Lucy stood up, ignoring Laxus' presence in the room, and grabbed her keys from the desk.  _Crux,_  she thought as she summoned the old sleeping spirit. Due to Capricorn's training, and Lucy's power increasing, Crux was able to learn about more than just Celestial mages and their history.

Lucy looked blankly at the spirit—noticing how little magic she really had when she felt a huge drain just from summoning him—then said, "I need you to find information for me, Crux. Will you grant me your assistance?"

Crux lazily opened his eyes, looking at the shell of who his master once was. He understood what had happened to her, and couldn't blame her at all for reacting the way she did. There was only so much heartache a human could withstand before they broke, and it seemed that losing the Rune mage was Lucy's breaking point. "Of course," he said simply.

Lucy nodded, then handed him a copy of Freed's family tree that she had found. "I need you to find information on these three men," she said. "Any information on connections they may have with magic or any history of magic affecting their lives in the past." She paused for a moment, then added, "I also need any and all information on this man." She pointed to the picture of the man she wished to learn more about, and waited for Crux to nod. "The sooner I get the information the better, Crux. You can go back until you find something."

"Of course," Crux said before disappearing with the family tree.

Lucy walked back to the desk and sat down. She looked at the books for a moment, then at Laxus' frowning face. Lucy put out her hand and when he stared at her in shock, she said, "I have a few minutes to eat, Laxus. Crux will find more information in a few hours than we could have in a few years."

Laxus jumped up and grabbed the bowl from where he had set it down, then handed it to Lucy. He sighed in relief when she took a bite of the salad, her face never changing from the blankness that lived there. "How is it?" he asked as he leaned back against the desk.

Lucy looked up at him and swallowed her food before saying, "I don't know, Laxus. I don't taste anything." She looked back down and took another bite while she tried to figure out what small piece of information she was missing.

"Will you consider taking a nap after you eat?" Laxus asked softly. "Ever can draw you a bath to help you relax and fall asleep easier."

"I'm not tense, Laxus. I don't need a bath to relax."

"When was the last time you slept?" he asked even though he already knew the answer.

Lucy thought for a moment, then looked up into his eyes. "Two days ago."

Laxus nodded and glared at the ground. "You know I'm worried about you," he whispered.

"I know."

"Then why won't you let us help you more, sis? You can't keep going like this. If you're gonna find Freed, you'll need your strength."

Lucy put the bowl down on the desk once she was done and looked into Laxus' eyes. He was completely distraught, and had been ever since Freed disappeared. At first, she had thought it was because his friend had been taken, but then Evergreen told her that he was worried about her, and then he had cried in her lap during that first week. Laxus was upset that Freed was gone, but he was more concerned with the wellbeing of his little sister. Lucy slowly stood up, grabbing her keys and pushing her hand through the key ring so they sat on her wrist like a bracelet. "I'll take a break for a shower and a nap," Lucy said softly. "You're right, I can't be of much help to Freed if I'm too weak from not taking care of myself."

Laxus stood up quickly and wrapped Lucy in a hug, which she didn't return, and took a shaky breath. "Thank you, sis."

"You don't need to worry about me, Laxus. I'll be better when Freed is home," she said, her voice muffled by the muscled chest in front of her.

"What do you mean, 'better'?" Laxus asked as he led Lucy to the door and toward the stairs.

"I won't be empty when he comes back," she said simply. Lucy looked into Laxus' eyes and said, "I know there's something wrong with me, I'm not blind. It happened when I was walking to the guild after he was taken. Everything slipped away until I was numb." Lucy looked over at Evergreen and Bickslow on the couch. "I know I should feel something. I know that I should feel sad and guilty for what's happened. And ashamed for treating you the way I have for the past two weeks."

"But your body isn't actually making any of those emotions inside of you," Bickslow nodded. "We get it, Lucy. That's why we're still here."

Lucy nodded absently, her mind running through everything she had read recently and trying to tie the pieces together. She looked at everyone in the room after a moment, and said, "I won't apologize for anything that's happened, because I can't feel remorse for it. Any apology you hear from me now would be empty. Just like me."

Evergreen nodded with a watery smile. "We love you and Freed. We wouldn't ever leave you alone to try and get him back. You might not be able to feel anything right now, but we'll get him back and make it all better."

"Bix, did you check the town's perimeter again?" Laxus asked solemnly, his mouth in a firm line.

Bickslow sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's still up. Same message as before: No one may search for him."

Lucy nodded and turned to go up the stairs. "Laxus, will you come with me? I have something to discuss with you," she whispered loud enough for only the blond man to hear.

* * *

"Master, there has to be something we can do," Erza said with sadness filling her usually stern voice. "It's been two weeks."

"Yeah, and Laxus won't even let us go see her!" Natsu shouted. He couldn't understand how Lucy being locked in a house for two whole weeks with her new team would be helpful in the slightest. It just wasn't who Lucy is.

Makarov sighed and looked across the guild hall from his seat on the bar. "Children, the only thing we can do is support her from afar. Research anything that she needs us to."

"This is bullshit!" Natsu screamed. "Luce isn't like that! She needs people around her that love her!"

"Natsu," Wendy said softly, placing a gentle hand on his arm. When he turned to look at her, she smiled sadly and said, "Bickslow, Evergreen, and Laxus love her just like we all do, and they're staying with her until this is resolved."

"It's not the same!" Natsu shouted just as the guild doors opened to reveal two of the three people that were keeping Lucy away from them. "YOU!" he screamed, rushing over to Evergreen and Bickslow.

"What is it, Natsu?" Evergreen asked with a sigh, hugging herself tightly against the cold from outside and the sadness inside of her.

"Let Lucy come see us! You can't keep her locked up like this!"

Bickslow shook his head and shouldered past Natsu, heading straight for the bar to sit next to Cana. "Fucking asshole," he muttered, knowing Natsu could hear him, "We don't want her locked in the house either…"

"What's  _that_  supposed to mean?! You won't let anyone come see her, and she never leaves!" Natsu bellowed, his fists lighting up in tandem with his anger as he stalked toward Bickslow. "If you cared about her, you'd let everyone help her feel better."

Bickslow dropped his head to his hands and said, "She won't leave because she doesn't do anything aside from research, Natsu. We can hardly get to her to eat as it is, no matter how hard we try. She only sleeps when her body is too exhausted to stay awake. Trust me, you don't want to see her the way she is right now… There's no way to make her 'feel better' since she can't feel anything to begin with."

"Of course we want to see her!" Natsu said with his signature grin, running a hand over where she had cut him with Freed's sword on Christmas. "Luce is our family!"

Makarov shook his head and glared at the bar top beneath him. "Natsu, I feel we should allow the Raijinshuu to continue with their course of action." Laxus called him once every few days to try and give him an update on everything, and he had seen the toll that Freed's disappearance and Lucy's reaction had taken on his grandson. "She is in good hands with her team."

"Master!" Natsu shouted petulantly.

Erza knocked Natsu onto the ground with a swift punch, making sure to keep him conscious so nobody would have to explain things to him later on. "Bickslow," she said softly. "What do you mean she won't eat?"

Evergreen walked over slowly and placed a hand on Bickslow's shoulder while he dropped his head to the bar. She sighed and looked sadly at Erza. "Lucy says there's no time to eat, because she has to keep reading. Laxus is the only one that can get her to eat anything, but even that's only every few days."

"How's her research coming?" Levy asked from her and Gajeel's corner table. She had run into another dead end with everything that Lucy had been looking into, and needed some way to help her best friend out. The few shreds of information Levy had found were instantly sent with either Evergreen or Bickslow so the blonde could look through them herself, but Levy never heard whether they had actually helped.

Evergreen shrugged. "We have no clue. She hasn't found anything that's worth telling us, so she doesn't talk to us."

"What's she researching right now?" Levy asked.

Evergreen sighed and shook her head. "The same things as before, but I don't know what she's looking for now. Before we left she was flipping through three or four books like she had found something, but she never said what it was." She looked sadly up at the second floor balcony and wiped away her tears before too many people could see them. Freed's sword had been hung on a plaque to keep it safe and in remembrance of what they had lost. She and the rest of the team hated the idea of putting his sword up like some sort of memorial, because he was going to come back.

"What about her spirits?" Erza asked. "Aren't they assisting her?"

"She doesn't call them," Bickslow said, turning his head to the side so everyone could hear him. "Lucy doesn't even wear her keys… they just sit on the desk so she can't even feel them trying to help her. Not like it matters much anyway—she never leaves the office for long."

"Master," Erza said firmly, determination filling her, "We have to help her. Have you filed a complaint with—"

Makarov shook his head and sighed. "Lucy has informed me that the guild has no legal claim to Freed, regardless of his age. He's the heir to the estate, so his father can legally do almost anything to bring him back home. If we try to charge his father with kidnapping, he could turn it around on us. Any evidence we have against him is circumstantial or hearsay. She says to let her work until she figures something out, and not take any action against Mr. Justine."

"This is unacceptable," Erza said through gritted teeth. "Lucy can't take this all on herself…"

"It's not like we have much of a choice," Evergreen whispered with tears falling down her face, leaning into Elfman when he came up next to her. "No one knows what she's thinking, or where her research is leading her. Any time we ask how we can help her, she just says the only way to help is to leave her alone so she can keep reading… She's…" Evergreen hiccupped as she tried to stifle her cries, "She's just like him…" The Fairy mage turned and hid in the large expanse of Elfman's chest, sobbing while his arms wrapped around her.

"Can't we send  _someone_  to visit with her?" Gray asked softly. "Just one person, so we can see for ourselves."

"You don't wanna see her like this," Bickslow said lifting his head again. "It'll hurt more knowing just how bad it is."

"You don't know that," Gray shot back. "Sure, she's like a sister to you guys, but you're not the only ones that care about her. Flamebrain at least had  _that_  much right."

Bickslow grimaced, his mouth turning to a thin line before he looked at Gray. He'd had enough of everyone in the guild giving them a hard time about how things were going. The Raijinshuu were doing the best they could, and all three of them along with Makarov had agreed that people coming in and out of Freed and Lucy's home wasn't going to help. "You know what, Gray? You're so eager to see Lucy and find out just how bad this shit is? Fine. You fucking come with me and Ever, and we'll go to the house right now. Once you see her, you're not gonna want to do it again."

"Bickslow," Evergreen whispered, looking with wide eyes at her teammate.

"No, Ever. They're right," Bickslow spat. "Someone else should see what's going on with Lucy. It's the only way everyone will finally understand  _why_  we're not letting anybody in the house." He looked at Gray and said, "She doesn't need your pity. What she needs is for some fucking miracle to pop up and give her the answers she's looking for. If you think you can help her, then fine. Just fucking try it, but don't blame me when you walk away feeling like the biggest piece of shit in all of Earthland."

Gray took a step back in shock at how angry Bickslow had gotten. No one ever saw the guy with anything less than a grin on his face, and even for the past two weeks he hadn't been angry. Sad, definitely. Not angry. "I-I…"

Bickslow stood up and stalked over to the now shirtless Gray, towering over him and scowling. "Just fucking wait, Gray. Five minutes with her and you'll get a taste of how useless we've felt for two goddamn weeks. She's never alone, because we know that normally she would hate it. We sleep in shifts just for someone to be with her. She doesn't eat, just drinks water. She doesn't sleep until her body forces her to. She doesn't talk unless you get in her way and force her to talk to you. You can't even  _touch_  her—can't hug her, wrap an arm around her shoulder, or even get close enough to try—otherwise she'll beat the shit out of you! She's  _nothing_  like our Lucy, so you'd better prepare yourself right fucking now for a wakeup call."

Evergreen carefully pulled away from Elfman's comforting embrace and flashed him an apologetic smile. She looked up at Freed's sword one more time before activating her Fairy wings and pulling it off of the plaque. Once she landed, she looked to Makarov and said, "There's no need to memorialize Freed. He's not dead, and he's coming home. I'm taking this back to Lucy… maybe it will help." She looked down and traced the Fairy Tail emblem on the hilt before walking up next to Bickslow and Gray as they walked out of the guild.

* * *

"What did you wanna talk to me about?" Laxus asked while he sat on the bed, leaning against the headboard with his legs sprawled out in front of him, as Lucy walked into the bedroom still wrapped in a towel.

Lucy looked at him for a moment, then turned and pulled a matching black satin undergarment set from her drawer in the dresser. She kept facing away from Laxus and dropped her towel to the floor. She put on her undergarments before picking the towel up and wrapping it around her hair. Before she turned around, Lucy said, "I know how to get him back. I just need more information before I can put it into action."

Laxus turned back to face her with wide eyes. Lucy hadn't cared if anyone was in the room while she changed since Freed left. There was nothing in her that was left to care about it, so she just went about her routine as if she was alone. Any time Laxus or Bickslow were around, they would look away until she walked in front of them to let them know she was dressed; Evergreen didn't seem to mind, and would just keep talking to Lucy as if it was normal to see her completely naked. "Wh-What do you mean?" Laxus whispered in shock. He ignored the fact that Lucy was only in her bra and panties while he stared at her. "How?"

Lucy dried her hair and walked to the closet to grab another one of Freed's shirts.  _Black shirt,_  Lucy noticed while she buttoned it up and turned back to Laxus. "We're going to do the one thing that Freed said would never work. I'm planning on setting up a meeting with his father to negotiate once I have everything I need for it to work."

"But, if Freed said it wouldn't work, then it won't!" Laxus nearly shouted.

Lucy shook her head and walked into the bathroom to put the towel up and grab her hairbrush. She walked back in and handed Laxus the brush, then sat down between his legs and turned her back to him. Once he sat up and started carefully brushing her hair, Lucy said, "He said it won't work because he's too close to see how it could work. Freed argued repeatedly with his father before leaving. His father wouldn't listen to anything he had to say on the matter before he left, and he's even less likely to listen now that Freed has been gone for so long."

"So, what are we gonna do then?" Laxus asked, lightly smiling that Lucy was letting him do something to help her. She usually had a hard time dealing with her hair now that it was down to her waist, but she said that Freed liked how it looked so she didn't want to cut it. The fact that she had given him the brush to help her had Laxus' hope of her getting better overflowing. It was so simple, something so small that it shouldn't have mattered, but it did. She hadn't let anyone but Laxus come near her once Freed had been taken.

"Once I know how to approach Mr. Justine about it, we'll go tell Master what the plan is. You and the team should accompany me in case there's trouble. You probably want to be there when Freed comes back, anyway," she said flatly. "Mr. Justine is a businessman first and foremost, just like my own dad was, and a father and husband second. If he's led to believe that an emissary from a guild wishes to speak with him concerning a matter of utmost importance, he won't ignore it."

"He won't let our guild anywhere near that place though," Laxus whispered. He leaned forward and pulled the black elastic band from Lucy's wrist and carefully started braiding her hair. Lucy had shown him how to do it while they were on a mission because, as she had beamed at him and said,  _"What if you and Mira have a little girl one day? You might wanna start practicing now…"_  He had grumbled then, but had still relented. Now he was glad that she had taught him, so he could help take care of his little sister when she needed it.

"Exactly," Lucy said. "He doesn't have to know it's Fairy Tail. If Mr. Justine is informed that the emissary he's meeting with wishes to be discreet, because of the nature of the business they wish to discuss, then he won't question it. He would be too curious to see what the business is, and wondering how much he could stand to make from dealing with a guild."

Laxus chuckled and nodded as he finished the braid, laying it carefully over her shoulder. "Is that why you've been reading so many law books lately?"

Lucy nodded, unconsciously leaning back until she was laying against Laxus' chest while she stared blankly at the bed. "I have to find some loophole that can get Freed away from his father for good." Lucy's eyes started to droop and exhaustion overwhelmed her. Within moments, Lucy was fast asleep.

Laxus looked down at the top of Lucy's head once her breathing evened out. He had been shocked that she had leaned against him, and even more shocked that she had fallen asleep so quickly. Laxus sat there for twenty minutes, just listening to Lucy sleep. He leaned back against the headboard, not willing to leave her alone. Once he moved, Lucy mumbled and rolled onto her side, gripping his shirt like a small child. He smiled down at her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders protectively. Just as he closed his eyes, a scent he didn't think he would smell from Lucy for a long time crept up into his sinuses.  _Salt?_

Laxus looked down at her face and his jaw dropped. Her eyes were closed, her face just as blank as it was while she was awake. The only difference was that there was a steady stream of tears falling down her cheeks and soaking into his shirt. She looked like she always did, as if there was nothing she could feel, and he would have believed that if she wasn't also crying. He felt his own tears falling when he saw hers, and tightened his grip around her with a small, sad smile on his face.

* * *

"What the hell is up with this place?" Gray asked with a grimace. They had just reached the perimeter of Freed and Lucy's property, and he suddenly felt an immense and oppressive weight bearing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

Evergreen chuckled sadly. "Those are the runes Freed put up when Lucy's house was destroyed. He didn't want to take any chances, so he layered them as much as possible. Only Fairy Tail members can get to the door. We'll have to invite you inside once we're there."

"Why?" Gray asked, walking up the steps behind Evergreen and Bickslow.

"Because only the team and Master are allowed inside without an invitation," Bickslow answered while he opened the door. "Everyone on the team has the ability to allow someone entrance, but it only lasts for the visit. Once you leave, you'll have to be invited back inside any time you come by until Freed's back to re-write them."

Gray nodded and stared at the ground with his hands in his pockets, then walked forward once Evergreen extended her invitation. He looked up and glanced around, barely taking in the décor of the surrounding rooms while he looked for Lucy.

"She's either in the office or upstairs," Bickslow said while he walked down the hall. "Like I said, Lucy doesn't move often." He walked right into the open door of the office and raised an eyebrow, then stepped to the side when Evergreen and Gray came to the doorway.

Gray's eyes shot open in shock as he looked around. One whole wall of bookshelves was completely empty, all of the books clearly sitting on or around the desk. There were bags upon bags of scrolls sitting on the floor, a half-empty glass of water on a coaster just to the right of an open notebook. He glanced at Bickslow and Evergreen before making his way around the desk to look at everything Lucy was working on. He could see her elegant handwriting on the pages of the notebook, but there wasn't even a single open spot on the page for her to write. Notes were turned every which way, and most of them were numbers with arrows pointing in different directions and leading to other notations. He couldn't make sense of any of it.

"Those are statute numbers," Evergreen said when she saw Gray's confusion. "She turns the page just like Freed does when she runs out of room. I don't think she even realizes she's doing it." She walked over beside him and set Freed's sword in the corner before going to stand at the door again.

Gray nodded, then looked at the open books on the desk. Two law books, one on runes, one on mathematics, two on philosophy, and one on logic. "How is she reading seven different books at once?" he asked, looking up expectantly at Lucy's team.

Bickslow shrugged. "We don't know. Freed did the same thing during his research, bouncing from one book to the next and writing shit down. He never had so many different subjects at once though."

"Where is she?" Gray asked softly as he walked back toward the office door. "You said she hardly leaves the office."

Bickslow sighed and nodded. "She was going to take a shower when we left. Maybe she fell asleep. Laxus is with her, so don't worry. He doesn't leave her side for long." He led them back out of the office and then up the stairs. The door to Freed and Lucy's room was wide open, so he knew that they were in there. Bickslow held up a hand just as they got to the door so he could peek inside and see what was going on. His hand dropped in an instant when he saw Lucy and Laxus lying on the bed, and he walked inside with his jaw open.

"Laxus?" Evergreen asked as she and Gray quietly walked into the room behind Bickslow. She gasped when she saw how Laxus and Lucy were laying on the bed, and that there were tears falling down Laxus' cheeks. "Laxus, what's wrong?" she whispered.

"She's… She's crying…" he replied quietly, not willing to wake Lucy up or take his eyes off of her.

Gray steadied himself on Evergreen when he saw Lucy. It wasn't that she was curled up on Laxus—she had curled up to both himself and Natsu while they were a team—but it was just how bad she looked. Even with tears silently pouring down her cheeks, he could see the dark circles under her eyes heavily contrasting with her pale skin. Her eye patch was opaque, but even the scar on her face was more prominent. She was thin, too thin to be healthy, with her wrists and ankles looking as if they would break at the slightest touch, and her hips jutting out too much even though they were covered by a black dress shirt.  _She's wearing Freed's shirt?_ , he thought. That was something more sentimental than he thought she was capable of without her emotions.

"What the fuck is he doing here?" Laxus whispered harshly, not trying to hide the tears he'd let loose. It was too late anyway, and Gray would know regardless that Laxus had been crying.

Evergreen shook her head and said, "The guild is worried about Lucy. Bickslow said Gray could come and see for himself what was going on so that maybe everyone would get off of our backs about 'letting her come out'…"

"It's her choice to stay here, not ours," Laxus said to Gray. "Trust me, I wish she would go outside and stop researching for even a little while, but she won't listen."

Everyone went completely silent when Lucy moved, nestling further into Laxus' chest and sniffling before she whispered the one word that broke everyone's hearts. "Freed…" Her voice, though hardly more than a breath was accompanied by the first expression they had seen out of her in two weeks: devastation. Her brow was pushed together, her small pouty lips were turned down, and her eyes squeezed themselves shut even tighter. Her body started shaking as her crying intensified, but she never made a sound. Her hands clutched Laxus' shirt tighter, and they barely heard her whisper, "Come home…"

Laxus took a shaky breath and ran a hand lightly up and down Lucy's back and sighed in relief when she relaxed again, though her tears never slowed. It was the first time she had cried since Christmas, the first time any of them had seen more than a blank expression on her face. He knew that something had changed, because she had never done this before. Something inside of her had to have started working again, but he couldn't tell why or how.

Bickslow looked at the sleeping blonde's soul and smiled. "Her soul's a little better. She probably won't be able to feel anything for a while still, but there's a part of her that's back. She probably doesn't even realize it's in there."

Laxus nodded and lightly squeezed Lucy's shoulders. "I'm glad I got her to sleep then…" He looked at the others in the room and whispered, "I'll tell you about it later. Let's just let her sleep." He took a long look at Gray and said, "Stay here and you can see her when she wakes up. It won't be long. Another hour, tops."

"She hardly sleeps, how would she be back up so soon?" Gray whispered.

Laxus shook his head and look back at Lucy. "She sleeps just enough to have more energy, then wakes up and starts researching again," he whispered. "Don't worry, I'll bring her down once she's awake. You can see her then."

Evergreen, Gray, and Bickslow nodded and silently left the room, closing the door behind them.

Laxus closed his eyes again and let himself drift off to sleep with the knowledge that his little sister was really starting to come back.


	10. Pain, Fear, Suffering

Thirty minutes later, Laxus led Lucy down the stairs after re-braiding her hair and cleaning her face off. She didn't understand why he insisted on wiping her face with tissues, but he wouldn't tell her why and she decided to just let it happen. She saw Evergreen and Bickslow sitting on the couch as they entered the living room, then noticed a third figure on the end of the couch. Gray. Lucy looked at him for only a moment before walking away to the office.

"Lucy, wait!" Gray called after her, looking at the rest of her team for instruction on what to do.

"Go sit in the chair next to the desk," Laxus said. "She most likely won't talk, but you'll be right next to her. Also, don't get too close to her.  _No matter what,_  don't try to touch her. She'll kick your ass."

Gray frowned and said, "Bickslow said the same thing… Why can't I get near her?"

Laxus leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, then sighed heavily. "I don't know, Gray. It was a surprise that she even let  _me_  come near her when Freed was taken."

Evergreen nodded and blotted the tears from her eyes with a thoroughly soaked tissue. "I tried to give her a hug on Christmas when we came back here to help her. She kicked me across the room…" She took a shaky breath and grimaced, then said, "Her face didn't change once. It was blank the whole time… As soon as I hit the ground, she acted like nothing happened and started grabbing more books."

"What the fuck? That's… that's not like her," Gray whispered, staring at the ground intently.

"That's what I was trying to tell you," Bickslow grumbled. "Laxus is the only one that can go near her. We don't know why she lets him and no one else so close. Hell, you saw how she was sleeping on him earlier."

Gray turned to Laxus with unasked questions filling his eyes. "How…?"

Laxus could only shrug. "I don't know," he said before running a hand through his hair. "She said she wanted to talk to me, so I sat on the bed and waited while she took a shower." He looked at Evergreen and Bickslow, and saw the understanding in their eyes. They nodded, silently telling Laxus to tell the whole story. He sighed and glared at the ground. "After she was done showering, she came out and started talking about how she's gonna get Freed back while she got changed."

"You watched her get dressed?!" Gray asked incredulously, with just a hint of disgust in his voice.  _She's like a sister to him,_  he thought.

Evergreen leaned over and smacked Gray with her fan. "No, you ass!" she seethed. "She doesn't care who's in the room when she gets changed, and just acts like no one's there! Bickslow and Laxus both look away until she lets them know she's dressed. We told you that she's hardly left alone for long." With that, Evergreen got up and said, "I'm gonna go sit with her until you guys come in. Bix, you can fill me in later."

Bickslow nodded, and then watched Evergreen walk down the hall to the office. "So, what's her plan?"

"I can't say yet," Laxus sighed.  _Really, I don't want Gray knowing what Lucy's thinking. It's obvious she doesn't want anyone to know yet, otherwise she would have told Ever and Bix too,_  he thought. "She's gonna tell everyone when she finds whatever it is she's looking for. Until then, we have to sit tight."

"So," Gray said softly, rubbing the back of his head where Evergreen had hit him, "What does that have to do with her sleeping on you?"

Laxus rubbed his hands over his face, then up through his hair. "After she got dressed, she went to get her hairbrush, then handed it to me and sat down on the bed."

"You're kidding," Bickslow whispered, the shock in his voice making Gray more confused.

Laxus shook his head, then turned to Gray. "Freed usually helps her take care of it," he said softly. "She grew it out because he likes how it looks, but she always has a hard time brushing it. She hasn't let anyone go near her hair since he disappeared, and just struggles with it until it's all brushed."

Gray's eyes widened and he said, "So… she let you do it for her instead of how she normally does it?"

Laxus nodded. "She kept talking while I brushed it and braided it—and shut the fuck up, Gray… Lucy forced me to learn how to do it a couple of months ago." He levelled a hard glare on the younger mage, before sighing and closing his eyes while his head fell back against the wall. "Once I was done, she leaned back and fell asleep. I don't think she realized that she did it, and I didn't want to try to move and risk waking her up. When I leaned myself back to get comfortable, she rolled over and curled up the way she was when you guys came upstairs. I was gonna try and catch up on some sleep when I smelled her tears…"

"Is this the first time she's done something like this?" Gray asked softly.

Laxus shook his head, but it was Bickslow who spoke. "No. She's let him hug her since Christmas. Last week we…" Bickslow paused and looked at Laxus, saw the stormy blue eyes of his leader looking back at him, and the small shake of his head. "Nevermind. It's not the first time she's fallen asleep with him around, but he's usually with her all the time," Bickslow said softly. "First time she's cried though. Or made a face. Or talked in her sleep."

"She's a little better," Laxus added, "But there's no telling how much has actually changed."

"So why don't you just tell her what she's doing?" Gray asked.

Bickslow shook his head sadly and said, "We don't know if making her aware of things like that will set her back. She's really perceptive, so she probably sees some of it happening… It's just her emotions that don't work. Everything else is fully functioning."

"She can't taste anything either," Laxus corrected. When Bickslow turned to him quickly and cocked his head to the side, he said, "She ate her salad earlier. I asked how it was, and she told me she couldn't taste anything."

"Is that why she's not eating?" Gray asked.

Laxus shrugged and said, "Maybe. She usually says she doesn't have time to eat, that there's too much to do for her to worry about eating or sleeping." He paused for a moment, looking at Gray, and finally said, "She knows there's something wrong with her, Gray."

"What do you mean?" he asked softly. He was learning so much more about what was going on with Lucy, and it made his heart ache. They were friends, the best of friends at one point, and seeing all of the light missing from her made him feel colder than he ever had before.

"She can tell what she should be feeling, but the emotions just don't come. It's why she's trying so hard to get Freed back—she says that it happened when he was taken, so getting him back will help her get better," Laxus answered as he pushed himself from the wall. "Come on, you came to see her so you should get in there."

"If you're still willing to stick around afterwards, we'll talk some more," Bickslow added with a half-hearted, and deeply depressing, chuckle.

Just before they walked into the hallway, Laxus stopped and looked at Gray. "If you get her talking, be careful."

Gray's brow furrowed, and he looked from Laxus to Bickslow and back. "Why?"

"Because everything she says is driven by logic, there's no emotion behind her words. She acts more and more like Freed the longer he's gone," Laxus replied. When Gray still looked confused, he sighed and brushed a hand down his face in aggravation before looking to Bickslow for help.

"She's most likely gonna say something that upsets you, Gray," Bickslow said with a shrug. "But, that's only if she actually talks to you. Just… Don't push her too hard."

Gray nodded and followed Lucy's teammates down the hallway to the office while he tried to figure out what they had meant. Bickslow sat down on a loveseat next to Evergreen, and Laxus went to lean on the wall behind Lucy. Once Gray was seated in the chair by the desk, he watched Lucy for a minute in awe. Her eyes shot from book to book as if they were all one and the same, taking notes, rotating the paper, taking more notes. She finished one book and closed it, then put it off to the side and blindly grabbed another while she continued reading. "Lucy?" he said softly.

No response.

"Can you hear me?" he asked, leaning forward slightly in his chair and then sitting back when he remembered that he wasn't supposed to get too close to her.

"Yes, Gray," she answered. "I can hear you just fine."

Gray nodded, then looked over at the rest of the Raijinshuu wondering what he should say. Each of them just shrugged. He turned back to Lucy and asked, "What are you researching?"

No response.

"Lucy?"

"Yes, Gray."

"What are you researching?" he asked again, keeping his tone gentle as if she was a small child.

Lucy paused for a moment to glance at Gray, then looked back at the books in front of her and pointed to each one with her pen as she said, "Contract Law, Family Law, History of Runes in Fiore, Statistics, Logic and Rhetoric, Logic and Grammar, Ethics, and…" Lucy paused to lean down and grab an eighth book, laying it on the desk in the only open space available, "Metaphysics and Morality."

"Why are you researching so many things at once?" he asked.

"Because each book I read gives me knowledge I didn't previously have," she answered flatly while writing down a series of notes from the newest book on the desk. "Any and all knowledge I gain from reading could be useful for bringing him back."

Laxus cleared his throat, and when Gray looked at him, he said, "She never knows where the last piece of the puzzle might be, so she's looking everywhere trying to narrow it down."

Gray furrowed his brow and looked back at Lucy. She stopped for a moment and turned to look at Laxus, then nodded and turned back to reading.

"Do…" Gray hesitated, then took a deep breath and asked, "Do you miss him, Lucy?"

"In a sense, yes," she answered. "I don't feel his absence. I don't long for him to be with me. I'm incapable of feeling anything." She stopped for a moment and looked back at Gray. "I do notice that he's not here, just like I notice that his absence is what brought about the emptiness inside of me. I swore that I would always be by his side, so I plan on bringing him back."

Gray chuckled and nodded, "A Celestial mage never breaks a promise."

Lucy nodded and then looked back to the books. "Why are you here, Gray? You should be with Juvia."

Laxus raised an eyebrow and looked between Gray and Lucy. He couldn't remember Gray ever having talked with her in the past six months, now that he thought about it.  _Why_ _ **is**_ _he here?_

Gray sighed and shook his head. "I care about you. Everyone in the guild cares, and we want to see you," he said sadly.

"And Juvia?" she asked blankly.

"She cares too," Gray said, with confusion written across his face.

"If you care so much, why is this the first time we've spoken since you left Team Natsu?" she asked.

Everyone on Lucy's team gasped and stared at Gray in shock. Bickslow had to hold himself back from beating the Ice Make mage's face in, and stuck to muttering curses under his breath. Laxus looked at Lucy, wondering what was going to happen. Evergreen just blinked, not knowing what else to do.

Gray's head dropped in shame. "I know… I'm sorry," he said softly. He had all but ditched Team Natsu to pair up with Juvia when they started dating seriously, and he had hardly seen Lucy in the guild for those first three months after Team Natsu was disbanded. She would walk in, say her hellos to everyone, and go turn in her mission with Mira. Then, she would walk right over to the request board and get a new one signed off before leaving again. There was only once that he had seen her actually sitting in the guild and talking with Levy, but Lucy had seemed really out of it then. He had chalked it up to her having another nightmare or just getting back from a hard mission, but before he could go and talk to her—and see if he could help—Juvia reminded him that they were taking Wendy on a mission and had to leave in a few minutes. The next time he saw Lucy was the morning after she found Freed.  _Mavis, what kind of shitty friend am I? Acting all superior and talking about how much I care when I didn't even try to keep our friendship going after I left the team._

"I don't care if you're sorry, Gray," Lucy stated. "You haven't answered my question."

Gray looked up at Lucy and grimaced. "Well, I… I didn't make time for you…" he replied, wincing at his horrible excuse.

"I see," Lucy nodded.  _There has to be a connection between these law books,_  she thought.  _There's just something that I'm missing… Maybe another book?_  Lucy leaned down and pulled up yet another law book and paused, looking across the filled desk for a place to put it.

Laxus leaned forward and pulled one of Lucy's discard piles from the desk and set it on the floor, then took the book from her hands and opened it to the table of contents in the new space.  _Nine books at once,_  he thought worriedly.  _She's pushing herself too hard…_  When Laxus had first partnered up with Freed before meeting Evergreen and Bickslow, he had asked the Rune mage why and how he could read so many books at once and not get confused. Freed had explained that the human brain is capable of performing multiple functions at once, and had said something about people only using a small portion of it for things like reading and cognitive thought. Laxus couldn't understand the majority of what Freed had said at the time, but he did remember one thing:  _"Forcing too much information into the brain at once can prove deadly. Mages use more of their brains than normal humans, and the intelligence of the mage can increase the amount of information they can take in."_  Freed could only read up to five books at one time, and on the few occasions where he had pushed himself further to get a job done faster he had passed out from exhaustion and hadn't woken up for days.  _She's gone way past what Freed can do… Either she's insanely smart and we never realized it… Or…_  Laxus' eyes widened and a small whimper crawled up his throat. Lucy's reaction to Freed leaving had left her emotionless, and without her emotions to clog up any mental processes Lucy was able to take in more information than she should have been. Something deep inside of Laxus told him that Lucy was pushing herself too hard. That even with her emotions gone and allowing her to learn so much at once, she couldn't take much more before  _it_  happened again—he was just hoping it wouldn't be while Gray was here.

No one said anything for a long time, until Gray broke the silence again in the hopes of getting her to talk to him without looking at the books in front of her. "You know, we all miss you at the guild," Gray said. "We all just want to help you bring Freed back."

"Is that why you all act as if he's dead? Putting his sword on display above the bar as a memorial to what's been lost?" Lucy asked flatly, never taking her eyes from her work.

Gray gasped and heard the rest of her team gasp right along with him. He turned to see Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow gaping at Lucy.

"How did you know about that?" Evergreen whispered.

"Just because I don't talk doesn't mean I can't hear you," Lucy replied while she wrote down another series of notes on logical fallacies.  _Time to check the law books again._ "I don't have any emotions, but I know what I should be feeling. I know how I would react if I could." Lucy looked up at Gray and saw the guilt, devastation, and shock in his eyes. "If I was able to, I would have felt betrayed by the guild's actions. He isn't dead, Gray. If he is, then I'll be going right behind him once I find out."

"Lucy!" Gray shouted. "Don't talk like that."

"Why not?" Lucy asked, turning back to her books. "He's the one that understands me. He helped me, just like I helped him. No one could ever replace him, so why would I want to keep living like this if he's gone forever?"

"You could get better if you  _tried_ , Lucy," Gray whispered. "From what I can tell all you do is look for a way to get him back, instead of helping yourself get better!"

"Back off, Gray," Laxus warned with a growl, looking from Lucy back to the Ice Make mage.

Gray's emotions were getting the best of him, and he had settled on anger as his voice rose to a shout. "You need to snap out of it, Lucy. You're not gonna get him back by being this way!"

Lucy stopped writing in the middle of a letter, carefully placing the pen on top of her notebook, and sitting back in the chair before she turned her full attention on Gray. "Explain how regaining my emotions will help me, Gray," Lucy stated.

"Shit," Bickslow whispered, his eyes going wide. He looked at Gray and said, "Gray, you need to go. Now."

Gray's head quickly snapped to Bickslow, and everyone saw the confusion on his face. "Why? She needs to—"

"No, Gray," Evergreen said quickly, glancing at Lucy worriedly before looking back at the blunette. "Trust us, you should go… You really don't want to hear what she's going to say…"

 _Oh fuck,_  Laxus thought,  _She's gonna scare the shit out of him…_  The few times Lucy actually completely stopped what she was doing to talk with someone, it had never ended well. Each of the Raijinshuu knew when they needed to leave her alone, but there was no way to stop what was about to happen. Laxus glanced at his other teammates, and saw matching expressions of horror on their faces when Gray ignored them and turned back to Lucy.

"If you're able to feel something, you won't be empty anymore. And then, no matter what happens to Freed, you'll have people to help you get through it," Gray said softly, his eyes pleading with her to understand. "You're not meant to be emotionless, Lucy. We all love your smiles, laughs, everything about you. We can help you get better."

"Would you like to know what I would feel when I think of him, Gray?" Lucy asked. "If I had those emotions that you're so fond of."

Gray nodded emphatically, leaning forward in his seat and resting his elbows on his knees. He glanced at the rest of Lucy's team and really started to get worried by the expressions on their faces. They were looking at  _him_  with pity, horror, and discomfort.

 _No!_ , Evergreen internally shouted,  _You_ _ **don't**_ _want to know what she would be feeling!_  Evergreen had made the mistake of asking Lucy this same question, and it had taken three hours for Laxus and Bickslow to get her to unlock her bedroom door upstairs and come out so they could talk to her and calm her down after hearing Lucy's answer. Lucy was fully aware of what she should or would feel in any situation, because her brain registered what the emotion would be even though she couldn't feel it herself. They had found out based on what Lucy had said to Evergreen that she had thought quite a bit about how she would feel over Freed being gone. None of them made the same mistake again.

 _Goddamnit, Gray…_  Bickslow thought with a sigh, dropping his head. Bickslow had been the first one that Lucy had done this to. She had given him her full attention when he kept pestering her for too long, and it ended up with him in tears and blowing up training dummies for two hours at the guild to get over how upset he was. She was great with her words when she was normal—and she stopped herself from hurting people too much before, because she hated to see them upset. Now? She didn't care if someone was upset, because she was answering the question they asked. Lucy wouldn't stop talking until her answer was complete, and in the process she made whoever the target was break down. It was absolutely frightening.

Evergreen jumped out of her seat, dragging Bickslow with her as she rushed over to Gray. "Gray, you need to go," she whispered urgently, trying to pull him from the chair.

Bickslow saw what she was doing, trying to spare the guy from what Lucy was about to tell him. While he thought that Gray should get a taste of what they had been dealing with, there was no way he would wish  _any_  of what she was about to say on someone. Bickslow leaned down and roughly yanked Gray out of the chair. "Ever's right," he said as he glanced at Laxus, seeing the blond man nod shortly in approval before they pushed Gray into the hallway and closed the door.

* * *

Laxus looked down at Lucy, who hadn't moved from her position in the chair even though Gray wasn't in the room any longer. "Sis?" he asked softly, walking around to crouch in front of her.

Lucy wasn't paying attention to anything else in the room. Once Bickslow and Evergreen had pulled Gray out of the chair, she had lost herself in thought.  _I don't have time for this. I need to keep reading. There's something that I'm missing, some small piece that I can't find. Once I find it, everything will work. If only I knew where to look._

"Lucy," Laxus whispered, pulling her small and slightly cold hands into his much larger and warmer ones, then started running his thumbs over them. "Talk to me."

Lucy didn't hear him.  _Freed was taken, and I didn't see the runes around Ren. I need to find some systematic way of searching through this information. There has to be a reason for not seeing those runes. Something could have gone wrong with the eye patch, but I was able to see Eden's runes on her hands just before I cast Pain. There has to be some way to sort through this faster. I couldn't see any magic on Ren until after Freed broke the barrier, and I only saw the barrier when Freed hit it with his sword._  "Anti-magic," Lucy said to herself.

"Anti-magic?" Laxus asked, cocking his head to the side in utter confusion. He had looked at her for all of five seconds before she said that, and he had no idea what she was thinking about.

 _The runes around Ren were protection runes infused with anti-magic rules. Maybe reading more books at once will prove to be a better strategy. Only Ren's magic could pass through the runes, and when I looked at them I couldn't see his magic or the runes because my eye patch is infused with magic. The runes—_ "Negated my eye—"  _That's why I failed._

"Shit, Lucy," Laxus muttered, leaning over to the desk and grabbing a wad of tissues and pressing them firmly to her nose to staunch the bleeding. "Lucy, focus on me," he said urgently. "Come on, look at me."

 _I need to find a way to get past anti-magic, otherwise it could become my biggest weakness where my eye is concerned. Those law books have to hold the answers to getting Freed back. There's a loophole, just like in runes, there's always a weakness. I just have to find it and use it to my advantage._  Lucy's thoughts were bouncing from the fight against Eden and Ren to her research and back, and she briefly noticed that Laxus looked worried.  _When did he move over here?_

Laxus pulled the soaked tissues away and quickly replaced them with more while throwing the bloodied ones on the floor next to him; he would pick them up after she stopped bleeding.  _Fuck, not again…_  He knew Lucy had been pushing herself too hard, and every time she either put too much work on herself at once or let herself get too lost in her own thoughts, she would get a nosebleed. He put a hand behind her head and leaned her forward slightly so the blood wouldn't go down her throat, and she didn't resist. "Lucy, come on. Focus on me. You're bleeding again," he said softly. It was one of the few things that they had told Lucy about, because they needed to understand why it happened. Just like everything else, it didn't seem to affect her when she found out about it, but she was immensely helpful when it came to figuring out how to deal with it.  _Just have to get her to focus on me instead of what she's thinking about,_  Laxus thought.

 _Bleeding. Why would I be bleeding? Freed wasn't bleeding when he was taken. I wonder what was in that syringe… How long the effects of it would last. Was it possibly too high of a dosage? Did he die before making it back to his father's estate? How would I know if he died? There would be an announcement of some sort in the news about it—his father would have to legally announce Freed's death and promote Christophe in the eyes of the public as the next heir._ "Newspapers."  _I need to keep an eye on the news, and see if it's already happened. Or if it happens while I'm trying to find answers._ Lucy ran through her conversation with Gray again, wondering why he was really visiting her when he had shown no interest in speaking with her for almost a year.  _We were friends once, and I was understanding of him spending time with his girlfriend—with Juvia. I was happy that he was happy, even though I missed him._

The blood wasn't stopping, and Lucy was starting to get pale. "Goddamnit, sis," Laxus whispered as he replaced the tissues again. "Come on. You're bleeding, you need to focus on me."

 _Focus on Laxus. Those philosophy books are giving me tons of knowledge on the way people think. I should probably look into psychology as well and see if there are any similarities. Which newspapers would I need to search through for that sort of information in high society? Psychology is more scientific, focused on the brain and body and not the belief systems of the individual. I'm bleeding? I'll start with the ones I remember from living with my father, and include any local papers surrounding Mr. Justine's estate. I need to read another science book as well, maybe biology or anatomy to understand what I find in the psychology books. Laxus said I need to focus—_ Lucy's eyes cleared and she stared into Laxus' stormy grey orbs as he knelt in front of her. "Laxus?" she asked.

Laxus sighed and replaced the tissues again when the door to the office opened.

* * *

"What the hell?" Gray seethed. "I finally got her talking, and you tell me I need to go?"

"Gray, you don't know what you're getting yourself into," Bickslow warned as he stood in front of the door.

"Yeah, I do. She's gonna tell me what she would be feeling right now," Gray said. He looked from Bickslow to Evergreen as if they had lost their minds and added, "How is that a bad thing?"

"Because it's gonna make you feel like shit!" Evergreen hissed.

"I get it, guys," Gray said, waving them off, "She loves him. So she'll tell me that she would be upset. Big deal. She has to work  _through_  her negative emotions to get over him and move o—"

Bickslow pulled his hand back and hit Gray square in the jaw with a powerful right hook, knocking him to the ground. "You son-of-a-bitch," he growled, dropping to the ground to straddle the prone mage and punching him again. And again. And again. Finally, when Bickslow calmed down a little, and he could feel his own knuckles split open from the force of his hits on the guy's skull, he wrapped one hand around Gray's throat and lifted him into the air as he stood up. "Ever, go make some tea. I know you don't wanna hear her talk about this again."

Gray was choking, trying to kick at Bickslow and get the guy to loosen his grip, and failing miserably. He knew he would have a black eye and a split lip—at least—after he left here, and didn't understand what had made Bickslow attack him in the first place. He looked over at Evergreen to see her glaring at him before she stalked off towards the kitchen.

Bickslow turned around and opened the door and walked over to the chair Gray had been sitting in before roughly throwing him into it. "You wanna hear what she has to say, fine. But don't  _ever_ —" He poked a finger into Gray's chest hard enough to bruise him. " — _EVER_  say she needs to get over him and move on. You have no fucking right to be here after that bullshit you just pulled…" Bickslow stood up and took a deep breath before taking his seat. "She's gonna make you eat your fucking words, Gray. Hope you can handle it."

Gray's eyes widened when Bickslow finally got quiet, and he looked over at Laxus to see what he should do. He definitely wasn't feeling encouraged when he saw the guy sparking with lightning, and clenching his jaw and fists with barely controlled rage.  _Why is he kneeling in front of Lucy like that? He was standing behind her before they dragged me out…_

Laxus had pulled back just enough from Lucy—thankful that he had just replaced the tissues when they stayed in place—to keep her from getting electrocuted when he heard what Bickslow said to Gray. He couldn't even look at the Ice Make mage, but the strong scent of Gray's blood, and the much lighter scent of Bickslow's, told him that his friend had handled it. Laxus took a deep breath and pulled his magic back into himself before putting his hand back up to change the tissues again while Lucy kept her eyes locked on him. "You're bleeding again, Lucy," he whispered as he blotted her nose, silently cursing when the blood flow didn't decrease.

"How long?" Lucy asked.

"Almost as soon as they took Gray out of the room," Laxus said softly, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "It's only been about five minutes."

Gray slowly raised his gaze to look at Lucy and blanched when he saw a bloody tissue pressed to her nose. "Wh-What happened?" he stuttered incredulously.

Everyone ignored the question. Bickslow shook his head and stared at the ground, finally pulling his helmet off and setting it on a small table, then running a hand through his hair. He didn't like the thought of Lucy bleeding again so soon after the last time, which had been the day before, and when he looked over at the box that Laxus was pulling tissues from, he saw how few were left. He got up and walked over to the closet in the hallway, pulled out a new box, then went to tell Evergreen what was happening before returning to the office.

Lucy just looked into Laxus' eyes and tried to stay focused on him instead of her own thoughts. "I was thinking too much," Lucy said softly, ignoring the knowledge that she should feel ashamed for making Laxus worry about her and keeping her eyes on his.

"I know," he replied with a sad smirk. "I'll write down what you said when the bleeding stops, okay? You can look at it later."

Lucy gave him a small nod, unable to move too much with his hand holding a tissue to her nose. She saw Bickslow moving out of the corner of her eye, and then watched as another box of tissues landed on the ground next to Laxus.

"Thanks, Bix. I take it you let Ever know what happened so she doesn't freak out when she comes back in," Laxus said firmly, seeing Bickslow nod as he sat back down. His voice softened as he started speaking to Lucy again. "You're working too hard again. You remember what I told you about reading too many books at once?"

"Yes," she said flatly. "You said that if I read more than five at a time, I could get hurt."

Laxus nodded and glanced at the desk. "You're trying to read nine, Lucy. That's too much even with your emotions the way they are. I know you wanna get Freed back, but you can't push yourself like this." He paused to replace the tissues again, then continued. "Between that and then thinking too much, this was bound to happen again." Laxus frowned as he thought,  _They're happening more and more often… I'm really starting to worry about her._

"She gets nosebleeds?" Gray whispered.  _What the hell is going on with Lucy?!_

"Yeah, Ice Prick," Bickslow seethed while he sat in his chair. Evergreen had said she didn't want to see Lucy bleeding again, so she was staying in the kitchen for the time being while she tried to compose herself. "Happens every few days when she starts working too hard." Bickslow really didn't feel like explaining a single thing to Gray, especially after what he had said about Lucy and Freed, but the guy was seeing it happen. It was better to give him condensed answers than let him think the worst and tell the guild.

"Is it slowing down, Laxus?" Lucy asked.

Laxus pulled the tissues away and sighed. "Little bit, sis. How many this time?"

"Seventeen," she answered.

"Seventeen what?" Gray asked Bickslow.

The Seith mage sighed and shook his head. "She was thinking about seventeen things at once."

"How in the—"

"Shut up, Gray," Laxus growled, turning to glare at the younger mage before looking back at Lucy and adding, "She doesn't need to hear your fucking questions right now. She needs to focus on  _not_  thinking about everything." He pulled the tissues away and quickly wiped her nose again. "Much better," he whispered with a smile.

"It stopped?" Lucy asked, then saw Laxus nod while he pulled out another tissue. She watched him press the tissue to his tongue for a moment before bringing it up to her face to clean away the dried blood.

Laxus didn't care that Gray was in the room right then. Lucy needed his help, and he was going to help her. Once Lucy's nose, lips, and chin were free of any dried blood—and he was sure she wouldn't start bleeding again—Laxus picked up all of the tissues from the floor and winced when he realized that he had gone through half of a box of tissues this time around. He threw them in the trash can, then stood up and kissed the top of Lucy's head before moving to stand behind her again.

"Gray," Lucy said, raising her eyes to look at her old friend. "Do you still want to know?"

She was staring at him blankly, and once she lifted her head to look at him, she was in the exact same position as before. "Tell me, Lucy," he said softly. "I'd like to know."

Lucy glanced at Bickslow, then to the doorway before saying, "Where is Evergreen, Bickslow?"

"She's making some tea, Lucy," Bickslow said softly. "You'll be out of water soon."

Lucy looked at her glass of water and took a sip, then nodded.

"Lucy," Laxus said softly, "I don't think you should talk about this right now…"

Lucy turned to look at Laxus and said, "I don't need to think about what I'm telling him, Laxus. I've already thought about this before, so it won't make me start bleeding again. He wants to know, and based on what he said to Bickslow in the hallway, he needs to understand this."

Bickslow chuckled and grinned evilly.  _You're goddamn right he needs to understand it. He won't make the same mistake after she verbally tears him a new one._

Lucy saw Laxus sigh and nod, then she turned back to Gray and looked at him for a moment before she finally spoke. "Thinking about how he was taken away, that I haven't seen him in two weeks because I can't find the answers I need, and how I don't really know whether or not he's alive and well... I would feel devastated, heartbroken, angry, depressed, and guilty for not being strong enough to protect him," Lucy said while staring blankly into Gray's eyes—her gaze never wavering. "I would feel worthless and inadequate for not finding the answers to his safe return, and for not getting him to safety in the first place. I would be worried constantly, wondering if he was alright or if they were torturing him and trying to break his spirit. If I could feel right now, I still wouldn't come to the guild, because I would be upstairs in that bed—our bed—and crying until I couldn't breathe, until my throat was raw and bleeding and my body was incapable of producing more tears. My heart would shatter every time I thought of him, and eventually I wouldn't be able to be in this house any longer because of all six months of memories he and I have here. Every single day that I woke up would feel like I was dying all over again, because he wouldn't be there with me. I would be forced to leave the guild, leave everyone behind, just so I wouldn't constantly be reminded of him."

"Lucy…" Gray whispered sadly, tears welling in his eyes. A part of him wanted to keep believing that she was blowing everything out of proportion, but the lack of emotion in her voice really beat it into him that that wasn't the case. She wasn't being melodramatic about it or crying and being hysterical. She was telling him facts that she knew to be true. Lucy said it as if she was telling him the sky was blue.  _I should have listened to them… I should have left…_  Gray couldn't find the will to stand up and walk out as he looked into the dull brown orb of the blonde in front of him. He was stuck in his seat, forced to hear everything she had to say. He had asked and fought to listen to what she wanted to tell him, and Bickslow was right. Lucy was going to make him eat his words.

She didn't stop. He wanted to know what she would feel if she could, so she would grant his request. "I would never be happy again, Gray. He became my source of happiness, and every smile that I let out over the past six months was because Freed broke down the walls that I had built when Team Natsu was disbanded. Nobody saw how unhappy I was back then, but when I saved Freed he—and the Raijinshuu—did. If I could feel right now, even with everyone in the guild that cares for me, I would be alone. He gave me a place to call home, he loved me with all of his heart—and I loved him just as much—and now he's gone. I had six months with him. Six months of pure happiness that I won't ever get back unless I bring him back home. My life was filled with love, affection, joy, belonging, passion and peace with him by my side. If I could feel, I would be miserable. More miserable than when my mother died and I was left alone. More miserable than when I was kidnapped and tortured by Gajeel, when our guild hall was destroyed because of me, when my father tried to hurt the ones I care about just to get me back. More miserable than when we came back from Tenrou, and I found out the last of my family—my father—had died just before we returned."

"Lucy, please…" Gray said through his tears.  _Why is she doing this?_ , he thought. The Lucy he knew would have stopped when she saw how upset he was over her answer. The truth of it all was that he couldn't bear to listen to how much she would be hurting if she was able to feel anything. Just the thought of it, now that he realized how much she really loved Freed, had brought his tears on. Add to that how she didn't stop when he couldn't listen to her anymore. She was devoid of emotion, unable to feel empathy for the pain her words were causing him.  _Bickslow was right… she's not our Lucy anymore._

"More miserable than when I dishonored Fairy Tail by being tortured by Minerva at the Games. More miserable than when I was ripped away from my team, the first human friends I had ever made, and could do nothing to change it. Even with all of those events combined, I know that the amount of grief I would experience over the loss of Freed in my life would trump all of them. I loved him with every fiber of my being, and I was forced to watch them drag him across the ground and leave. Freed was taken away because I wasn't strong enough to stop them. I wasn't fast enough to avoid getting trapped, or perceptive enough to see the barrier around Ren. I would feel remorseful for failing him when he needed me the most. I cried in the snow for over an hour after he was taken, and if I hadn't become empty like this—not able to feel anything at all—then I would have gone insane with my grief." Lucy paused and looked at Gray's tear-stained face before asking, "Why would you want that for me, Gray?"

"Fuck," Gray sobbed, rubbing his eyes violently and trying to stop the flow of tears. "That's not… Lucy… I'm so sorry…" He took a deep breath and looked into Lucy's dull brown eye, and couldn't stop himself. Gray quickly stood up and lunged forward to wrap his arms around her, to try and comfort her and himself for asking such a stupid question.

"Gray STOP!" Bickslow shouted as soon as Gray got up. There was nothing he could do from where he was sitting except wince and hope that Lucy didn't lose control entirely. He couldn't bring himself to move when he saw what she did to him.

" _Pain_." As soon as Gray got too close, Lucy used a small amount of magic and cast the first spell on him. She watched absently as he dropped to the ground and screamed in agony. "You wanted to know, Gray. I'll show you so that you'll understand," she said as he writhed on the ground. "This is what I would feel every day without him. The pain of losing the only man I loved, ripping through my heart and tearing me to shreds."

Gray curled in on himself, his body continuously shocked with jolts of electricity, each of his nerves firing off at the same time. His muscles locked up, the spasms that wracked his body too much for him to bear. He heard her voice, Lucy's voice, echoing through his mind. He tried to open his eyes and look at her, but couldn't manage to do much aside from feel the pain she was inflicting on him.  _This is the pain she would feel._

" _Fear_." His scream changed and was filled with dread, and Lucy just watched as he rolled over onto his knees and tried to rip out his hair. "This is what I would feel when thinking about what he might be going through. The fear of losing him forever because I'm not good enough, not strong enough to save him. The fear that I'm too weak to do anything, and that everything I've done so far is in vain. This, Gray… Is how fearful I would be of living a life without Freed."

Evergreen heard Gray's scream, and shook her head as she got the teacups from the cupboard.  _Serves him right,_  she thought with a huff.  _How dare he say she should just get over Freed?_  She had finally gotten over her most recent bout of crying after hearing that Lucy had another nosebleed, and was finally feeling ready to go sit in the office with everyone once the tea was ready. She was brought from her internal musings when Gray's scream changed into one of not only pain, but fear. Evergreen's eyes widened when she realized what was happening, and she quickly put down the cups and turned off the stove before rushing back to the office.

Gray was barely aware of the screams he was letting loose, since he could only see horrifying images ricocheting behind his closed eyes in conjunction with the searing pain that kept hammering through his body. Cold fear ripped through him, clutching at every happy memory he had and twisting it into a sick abomination that would haunt him forever. A still image of Lucy popped into his mind, standing in the midst of everything else that he saw and watching him with a blank face as she spoke.  _This is her fear._ He felt his hands gripping his hair tightly and yanking on it. There was no pain from that, since everything else in his body was overpowering it.

"Shit, Lucy!" Laxus shouted, rushing over to kneel by Gray with Bickslow hot on his heels. "Stop!" He did everything in his power to help the guy, but the only way to really stop it was to get Lucy to drop the spells. He hadn't blamed her for using the first spell on Gray; he had gotten too close to her after being warned  _repeatedly_ not to do it, and he had been acting like a know-it-all asshole while he was in the hallway with Bix and Ever. Lucy's casting of the second spell, and the way she was explaining how the spells fit into her own emotions (if she had them) made Laxus realize that this could get very ugly, very fast.

" _Suffering_." It changed again, all three spells layered on top of one another to create a cacophony of garbled cries in the room. Gray had wanted to understand how Lucy would feel if she could, so she was showing him just what would happen to her. "This is how I would suffer without him in my life. Living each and every day without seeing his smile, hearing his voice or his laugh, without being able to touch him and know that he's safe," she said as she watched Gray on the ground. "I would suffer every day, the pain and fear never leaving me. Being in his home, surrounded by everything that reminds me of him would make me suffer. Seeing the guild, where I first met him; our guildmates, who cared so deeply for everyone they meet, the ones who knew him before I did. This is my suffering for each and every time I would see Evergreen, Bickslow, or Laxus because they were his closest friends. I would suffer the loss of not only Freed, but also my family at Fairy Tail."

Mournful screams echoed into Gray's ears, the cries of thousands of people who were suffering filtering in and echoing through his mind, accompanying the horrific images, the pain piercing through him, and the eerily still image of Lucy. Even through the screams, he heard her monotone voice explaining why he was experiencing this torture.  _She would suffer like this? It's no wonder she wouldn't want her emotions back…_

Evergreen held a hand over her mouth and shut her eyes. Based on where Gray was at on the floor, she knew what he had done. They had told Gray not to get too close to her, but he didn't listen. Lucy hadn't done anything nearly as bad as this to either her or Bickslow when they had made the same mistake—instead just throwing something at them until they backed up—so Evergreen couldn't understand why Lucy was casting so many spells on Gray without ending at least one of them. She couldn't believe Lucy was going to such extreme measures to show Gray just how she would feel if she was able. When Evergreen had mistakenly asked, Lucy had only explained it to her, and that had been enough. This was on an entirely different level—she was torturing Gray, and his screams of agony and terror would haunt Evergreen for the rest of her life. Thankfully, she was broken out of her own thoughts by Laxus' voice.

"Ever!" he shouted, "Call Wendy. She needs to get over here to heal Gray when Lucy stops."

Evergreen shot out into the room and rushed as quickly as possible over to the desk. She activated the lacrima and saw Gajeel's scowling face instantly turn to shock. "Where's Wendy?" she said quickly.

The lacrima shifted a little bit, showing the worried Sky Dragon Slayer. "Evergreen, what's wrong?" Wendy asked as she stood up, the guild in the background going completely silent as masculine shrieks of pain and terror rang out through the lacrima.

"It's Gray…" Evergreen said, looking over her shoulder at the man on the ground then back to the lacrima. "He… He got too close to her. We t-told him not to…" She let out a strangled cry, roughly wiping the tears from her face. "She's hurting him… He's… Please hurry!"

Wendy gasped, and shouts of outrage and disbelief could be heard from everyone in the guild. Wendy turned and looked at Gajeel for a moment and said, "I'm on my way!"

The lacrima shifted again, and Makarov appeared on the screen. "Child, what's happening?!" he asked worriedly.

"Lucy's hurting Gray, Master!" Evergreen cried out. She looked over at Laxus and Bickslow, then wiped away her tears. Gray's screams had caused the guild to go silent, and none of them needed to see or hear what was happening. Evergreen took a moment to compose herself, then said, "Master, I'll have someone call you when everything has calmed down…"

"Evergreen," Makarov gasped. "What's happ—"

Laxus shot up from the floor, grabbing the lacrima and glaring at his grandfather. "The guild doesn't need to see this shit, Gramps. I'll call you once we know he's okay." He saw that his grandfather was going to protest, so he said, "You've gotta trust me to take care of this."

Finally, Makarov nodded. "Very well, Laxus," he said softly. "I trust you. Please call me as soon as you can."

Laxus nodded and switched off the lacrima, placing it back on the desk. He ran his hands over his face, trying to figure out what he was going to do. "Ever," he said softly. "Go wait outside for Wendy and get a little air, okay?"

Evergreen looked worriedly at him, then nodded. "Of course, Laxus," she said softly, patting his shoulder before leaving the office to wait outside.

" _Desperation_ ," Lucy said, activating the one of the newest spells she had learned during her research. It was one that Freed had shown to her, but she had never gotten around to actually learning it before he was taken. She watched tears pour down Gray's face for a few minutes before she said, "This would be my despair, Gray. I would have no hope of a happy life without him. I would wallow in this pit and never be able to free myself, just like I was unable to free myself to save him. This is what I would feel if Freed was dead."

"Lucy, you're gonna kill him!" Laxus screamed out, rushing around the desk to kneel in front of the blonde.  _This is too much… Four spells on him at once?!_ He stared at her blank expression and felt as though his whole world was crashing down around him. Lucy was innocent, and he never thought that so much cruelty could come from the sweet blonde that he knew.  _It's not really her anymore,_  a small part of his brain reminded him. "Fuck, please… Lucy, stop!" he begged, grabbing her shoulders and shaking her in the hopes of breaking her concentration. There was no way any of them had thought she would do something like this, but Laxus could tell that if she didn't stop casting spells on him, Gray would die. His worry over what she was doing to Gray was mixed in with his worry over her own wellbeing. Lucy was usually pretty weak after having a nosebleed, and today was worse than any other time before. Using magic on top of everything else that had happened since she had woken up had Laxus' heart beating erratically and his stomach in knots.

Finally, when Gray thought it couldn't get worse, his heart plummeted and shattered inside of him, knitting itself back together only to repeatedly break. It was worse than when Ur sacrificed herself to save him, worse than watching Deliora kill his family. Every bad memory he had was still not nearly as horrible as what he felt right then. He felt darkness blooming in the cracks and gaps of his shattered heart, making sure that it would never be the same again. Lucy's voice sent chills down his spine, and he shivered just like he used to when he started learning his magic in the snow.  _No hope… She would have no hope…_

Laxus' eyes filled with tears as he looked at her. "Please, sis… Please stop… Don't hurt him anymore. Don't hurt him…" Lucy didn't seem to hear his pleas, instead she just watched Gray as he flailed on the ground. He pleaded with her over and over, hoping that something would finally break through as the minutes ticked by.

Evergreen jumped and rushed to open the door and invite Wendy and Gajeel inside when she saw them running up the walkway. "Right this way. Hurry," she said as she quickly led the young girl and her partner through the office door.

Wendy and Gajeel stood in the doorway to the office, watching in horror at what was happening. They hadn't seen Lucy since Christmas, since Freed was taken and she came to the guild alone, but neither of the Dragon Slayers had expected  _this_.

"Bunny girl!" Gajeel shouted, "What the fuck?!" The strongest team in the guild was completely broken. He could smell all of their tears from the street, had heard Gray's screams from almost a mile away, but he didn't realize that it was this bad. When he and Wendy had been running to the house, Gajeel had pulled Wendy up onto his back so they could get there even faster once they heard those bloodcurdling screams. What he couldn't understand was why the blonde was hurting Gray in the first place, and why the room she was sitting in reeked of her own blood. It was a smell he would never forget, after having spilled so much of it himself while he had tortured her so long ago.

"Lucy…" Wendy whispered with tears in her eyes. She turned from Laxus kneeling in front of Lucy at the desk to see Bickslow holding Gray down on the floor, trying—and failing—to keep the Ice Make mage from tearing at his flesh.

" _Anguish_ ," she added, watching Bickslow struggling to hold Gray down and stop his hands from tearing at his face. "Gray, this is the culmination of my emotions. Everything you've experienced so far is only a fraction of what I would feel. In answer to what you said earlier, this is what I would feel." She paused for a minute, then continued. "I have thought about what it would be like to try and move on, to let Freed go and continue living my life without him. When I considered it, I knew that I would feel anguish from not only that decision but from giving up on my love for him. I will never give up on Freed. I will never try to make myself better with the intention of moving on. This is my anguish, Gray. My anguish would be the last thing I feel before dying. I would have no hope of survival without him, and this is what I would feel before taking my last breath."

Gajeel's eyes widened, his mask of indifference completely gone.  _She's making him feel…Holy shit…_  He replayed what she had said in his head, and he felt an odd anger building inside of him.  _Bunny Girl doesn't give up. No way in hell would she move on… What the fuck did he say to her?_ He started to move forward into the room to try and get to Lucy and make her stop, but was instantly stopped by Evergreen. He glared down at her, but before he could say anything she shook her head.

"He got too close, Gajeel. Don't make the same mistake. Let Laxus handle this," she whispered urgently, with a hard look in her eyes.

"Sparky's not doing a fucking thi—" he growled, only to stop completely when he heard Laxus start to speak.

Laxus placed his hands on Lucy's cheeks and forced her to look at him. "Lucy… Please sis. Please listen to me," he cried, tears freely falling down regardless of who was watching. "You have to stop. You're hurting Gray…"

"Go help Bickslow, Gajeel," Evergreen said. She saw him nod and stalk across the room to help the Seith mage hold Gray down, then she wiped away her tears and thought,  _There's nothing I can do right now…_  Finally, she turned and walked out of the office to go and finish making tea for everyone with a heavy heart.

Gray felt like his world was spinning, and he was being pulled into a dark abyss with a heavy weight on his chest.  _Why… Why won't this stop? Make it stop… I can't take this anymore…_  Lucy's voice echoed all around him in the darkness, and he was riddled with guilt at the assumptions he had made. She wouldn't just give up on Freed, that wasn't who Lucy was. Even without her emotions, Lucy still had conviction and an unwavering determination to achieve her goals. He listened to her voice, knowing he deserved everything that was happening, as it slowly faded along with the sole source of light in his vision. As soon as he felt like he would be able to climb out, he watched the small dot of light above him disappear, heard her voice dull to a whisper and then vanish, and let out another scream. One that he was sure would be his last.

"Laxus," Bickslow said quickly, "You have to get her to stop. He's dying. His soul's fading fast." Bickslow's eyes were intently watching Gray's soul start to fade, and he had to try and hide just how horrified he was as he pulled his hands away. Gray wasn't moving anymore, his breaths coming in short, shallow bursts and rattling eerily in the quiet of the house, and his eyes were wide as they stared dazedly at the ceiling. "There's not much time…"

Wendy rushed into the room when she heard Bickslow, kneeling next to him and getting ready to start healing Gray.

Bickslow grabbed Wendy's hands and shook his head. "She hasn't stopped the spells yet, Wendy," he said firmly. "Freed's magic is running through him right now. You remember what happened before." He kept an eye on Gray's dwindling soul, but saw Wendy nod out of the corner of his eye as she pulled her hands back into her lap.

"Stop the spells, little sis. Please. Stop," Laxus begged, terror filling his whole body. He looked back at Gray for a second and saw the Ice Make mage's shallow breathing, the grim line of both Bickslow and Gajeel's mouths as they sat at his head and feet, and the young Dragon Slayer ready to heal him once the spells were ended, then looked back to Lucy. "Lucy… Please, he's dying!" he shouted. "Please… Please stop!"

Lucy didn't see Laxus in front of her, just stared off into space just above his head.  _Gray's dying? He shouldn't be dying, I haven't used that much magic._  She looked at the clock and realized that she had lost track of time. The Pain spell had been going for almost an hour, and Anguish had already been in effect for five minutes.  _That's too long to have them on someone…_

"Lucy," Laxus said, rubbing his thumbs across her cheeks, "I know it's not in there, that you can't feel it, but you would normally have  _compassion_! You wouldn't keep the spells up for this long. You wouldn't want  _anyone_  to suffer like this." He paused, hoping to see some small sign that she heard him. Nothing happened. "Show him mercy, sis. Please… Please don't kill him," he begged once again, his voice soft and pleading and filled with all of the emotions that rolled through him.

Lucy's eyes finally focused, and she looked at Laxus before saying, "Mercy…" She raised a hand to his face and brushed away the tears on his scarred cheek as her vision blurred and her eyes started drooping.  _Something isn't right…_  "I would… normally show… mercy…" Lucy said weakly with an almost imperceptible nod, then cut off the magic in her eye and ended the spells before her vision went black.

* * *

Makarov was pacing back and forth in his office, waiting for some semblance of news from Laxus. Honestly, news from any of the mages in Freed's and Lucy's home would suffice, he just needed answers.

"You're wearing a hole in the carpet, Makarov," Mavis said grimly while she sat in an armchair.

Makarov grumbled for a moment, then sighed and sat down across from Fairy Tail's first master. "I can't understand what would cause Lucy to attack a guildmate," he said sadly. "And not just attack him, but hurt him enough that Wendy would be needed. Evergreen was so frightened when she called, and Laxus…" He dropped his head in defeat. His grandson was looking harrowed, positively beaten down by stress, but he still refused to let anyone see them.

"She said that Gray came too close to Lucy, and he was warned not to. Correct?" Mavis asked, placing a finger on her chin as she thought.

"Yes. When they came to the guild, Bickslow and Evergreen explained some of what is happening with Lucy. Laxus has called occasionally to check in, and he's told me the same things the rest of their team said today. She doesn't eat unless Laxus is able to get through to her. She sleeps when her body can't stay awake any longer. She spends all of her time reading, and doesn't talk unless she has a reason to. She still has no emotions, though no one in the guild knows why it happened in the first place; Laxus told me that when Freed was taken, Bickslow saw her soul… it was just an outline instead of shining brightly and complete. She doesn't call her spirits, and keeps her keys on the desk. And she attacks anyone that gets too close to her." Makarov sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, a tension headache already forming from everything that was happening. "I can't understand why…"

Mavis nodded, then leaned forward to pat his knee. "Well, I would trust what Bickslow says about her soul—he would know about these things. I've never heard of something like that happening to anyone before, but it does explain why she has no emotions."

"Evergreen says that Lucy is becoming more and more like Freed every day…"

Mavis smiled softly and said, "Then there is a part of her that misses him. If she emulates the things he does, the things that she loves about him, then it has to be a sign. Freed is one of our most intelligent children, so maybe Lucy hopes to use the traits he possesses to find a way to bring him back."

"Based on everything I've heard, I still can't understand why she would attack Gray—or anyone that comes near her," Makarov said sadly. He felt like a small child, looking to the guild's first master—who just so happened to look like a child herself—for the answers he couldn't find.

"There could be several reasons for that, Makarov," Mavis sighed. "And none of them are too encouraging. The first would be that she doesn't want to let anyone close to her otherwise they might get taken away like Freed did. But that would mean that she was  _afraid_  of losing someone else she cares about."

"But she can't feel fear," Makarov replied.

Mavis nodded, then said, "Exactly. Another reason could be that she thinks anyone who's trying to come near her is trying to hurt her. She experienced something very traumatic, Makarov. No matter how strong someone is, there's always a breaking point."

Before Makarov could reply, there was a knock at the door. "Come in," he said while he stood and walked behind his desk to sit down.

Mira walked in slowly with her mouth set in a small frown, followed by Juvia and Natsu. "Master, these two would like to speak with you." She held the door open for the two mages when Makarov nodded and waved them in, then closed the door and went back to the bar.  _I have to trust Laxus to handle it,_  Mira thought while she cleaned another glass. Mira hadn't seen Laxus in person since Freed was taken. He called her on the lacrima from time to time to see how things were going, and had explained that he wouldn't abandon Lucy until she was better. Every call she got from him, no matter how distressed he was or how puffy and red his eyes were, had brightened her day. Laxus never talked about how bad it was with Lucy, but Mira had been able to see it when she looked at him. She understood the need to care for your siblings, especially when they weren't capable of doing it themselves, and so Laxus' absence hadn't hurt her as much as it would have if Lucy was just a teammate; she was his sister, and he had to take care of her.

"What can I help you with, children?" Makarov asked as the Fire and Water mages sat down.

"Have you gotten a call back yet?" Juvia asked softly. It was tearing her apart that Lucy had done something to hurt Gray, but Erza was blocking the entrance to the guild until Makarov had gotten the word that Gray was alright. No one was allowed to leave, because Makarov knew just how volatile some of the guild members could be, and he didn't want them rushing off to find out what happened for themselves.

Makarov sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry Juvia. Not yet."

"Why can't we go find out what's happening, Gramps?" Natsu asked, clenching his fists at the thought of not being able to help Lucy. He couldn't understand why Gray had been allowed to go see her when he wasn't. The guy hadn't even talked to her since he quit Team Natsu, so Natsu knew that he was a much better friend to her than Gray was.

"Because the situation is very delicate, Natsu," Makarov answered. "We don't know what she's done to him, or what caused it to happen. All we know is that Gray is hurt, and Wendy and Gajeel should be there by now."

"We should send someone to check on them, though!" Natsu pushed.

"Natsu," Makarov sighed, "Laxus is handling it. I trust him, and you should too."

"How can we trust him to make her stop?!" Juvia cried. "Who's to say she won't hurt him next?"

 _Laxus… That's right…_  Natsu was deep in thought for a minute, making everyone in the room slightly uneasy. "Gramps," he said carefully, "Lucy's like a sister to him, right?"

"Yes."

"And… Laxus hasn't left the house at all?" Natsu asked as he finally started putting the pieces together. Igneel had told him about this years ago, and he couldn't believe he didn't see it sooner.

"That's correct, Natsu," Makarov answered, watching some sort of understanding flicker in the young man's eyes. "Why?"

Natsu understood it now, and grinned. "Evergreen said only he can get her to eat?" When Makarov nodded, Natsu laughed and leaned back in his chair before looking at Juvia. "You've got nothing to worry about, then," he said happily. "Laxus has it all under control!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Juvia shouted.

"Lucy's his kin! If anyone can help her, it's Laxus!" Natsu said happily.

* * *

Laxus watched in horror as Lucy's hand dropped from his cheek and she passed out, slumping forward and almost falling out of the chair. He smelled her blood again, and his stomach churned when he saw a thin line of it dripping slowly down from her ears and onto her neck. "Lucy?" he whispered.

No response.

"Lucy!" He shook her, trying to rouse her even a little bit. Her breathing was shallow, slightly labored, and her body was far too cold. "No… Come on… Y-You've gotta… be okay…" he sobbed. His heart shattered when a small rivulet of her blood started leaking from her nose again.  _She's bleeding too much. Oh God… Lucy!_  Laxus roughly pulled her frail body from Freed's chair and down into his lap. He kept her head tilted forward and wrapped and arm around her back while he blindly grabbed for the tissues he had set on the desk earlier.

Gajeel wasn't needed to hold Gray down while Wendy healed him, and he rushed over to Laxus and Lucy. She was bleeding from her nose and ears, paler than she should be, and unconscious. "Fuck," Gajeel muttered while grabbing the tissues that Laxus was reaching for and handing them to him. Before Gajeel could get any closer to help the other Slayer, he heard a loud and menacing growl fill the room, and instantly backed down.  _She's kin to him,_  he reminded himself,  _No one can go near a dragon's kin while they're hurt…_  Gajeel had known for months now, but never mentioned it to anyone—it wasn't anyone else's business to know about one of Laxus' weaknesses.

As soon as Gajeel backed down, Laxus' growls turned into frightened whimpers while he tended to Lucy. Laxus wiped away the blood from her ears and neck first, and felt a small amount of relief when he saw that she wasn't still bleeding from her ears.  _What the hell happened?!_  He knew the answer: Lucy had pushed herself even harder, keeping those spells going for almost an hour while he had begged her to stop. She was physically and mentally weak from exhaustion, but she had still held on long enough to make Gray understand what she was telling him. Once he was done with her ears and neck, Laxus grabbed another tissue and blotted the blood from her nose. "Sis, come on…" he muttered. "Don't leave me…"

Wendy sighed and wiped away the sweat that had started pouring down her face. She looked up at Bickslow and said, "He's going to be fine. He'll need to rest for a while, but there wasn't much physical damage to him. His body went into shock and started shutting down, so we'll need to take him to the guild until he's fully recovered." She frowned when she smelled blood, and turned to see Laxus and Lucy on the floor, then gasped. She took in Lucy's condition and started moving forward to try and help when Laxus turned to snarl wildly at her, baring his teeth like a wild animal as he rocked the petit blonde back in forth with tears falling down his cheeks.

"She's kin, Wendy," Gajeel whispered while he sat against the wall, one knee pulled close to him with an arm lazily draped over it while his other leg was straight out. When the young Slayer only looked at him with uncertainty, he sighed. Apparently, Wendy's dragon didn't get around to explaining that—just like most of the other things he had already taught her. "I'll explain it later. You can't go near her."

"Please, sis. P-Please be okay," Laxus whispered when Lucy's bleeding finally stopped completely. He pulled her closer to him, burying his nose in her hair as he unconsciously rocked back and forth. "D-Don't leave me… Please… Don't go…" He cried, whimpered, whined, and even let out small growls of agitation and worry while he tried to figure out what he could do to help her.

"I can't even tell if she's going to be okay from here," Wendy said sadly as she moved to sit between Gajeel's spread legs, and take a small bit of comfort from her partner, while listening to each and every heartbreaking sound from Laxus.

Bickslow couldn't watch Laxus in this state, and he knew there was nothing to be done. He had looked at Lucy's soul once he realized what was happening, and saw that there was no change in it. She wasn't dying, but he knew that Laxus wouldn't hear him if he tried to tell him anything. He could at least ease Wendy's worries. "She's gonna be fine," he whispered. "Her soul's the same as it was earlier. She just pushed herself too hard."

"But… Why is she bleeding?" Wendy asked, leaning against Gajeel's propped up leg and looking worriedly at Bickslow.

The Seith mage sighed and said, "She gets a nosebleed when she works too hard; it happens every few days. It's never been like this before—but she had a nosebleed before she started talking to Gray, so that's probably why she passed out this time…"

Laxus felt like he couldn't breathe, and the only thing that was holding him together at that point was hearing his friends talking about what was happening. He continued crying, not caring who saw him like this, and then one word filtered into his brain.  _Kin._  The word seemed to have a home inside of him, clicking into place once it travelled into his ears. It explained everything that was happening to him when it came to Lucy, and there wasn't a thing that he would change.  _She's kin… Of course she is…_

Wendy gasped and said, "Why didn't anyone call me sooner?"

"Because Laxus told us not to worry you," Evergreen said sadly as she walked into the room with her arms crossed under her chest. "He said if it got worse, we could call you and find out what was happening… but only after he had a chance to talk to Lucy about it."

"Wendy," Bickslow said softly, "We wanted to call you… But, she won't let anyone near her except for Laxus. You'd have to get close to do anything, and he wanted her to understand that before you came to help her."

Lucy's eyes slowly fluttered open, and instantly shut again when she saw how blurry everything was. The lights in the room were too bright, and there was an intense pressure building in her head. She realized she was pulled tightly to someone's chest, and the fur that brushed against her let her know just who it was. "L-Laxus…?" she whispered, keeping her eyes closed and moving her hand to lay against his arm.

Laxus stopped, everything coming to a crashing halt in his mind. "Sis?" he asked carefully, pulling away slightly to look down at her blank face. Her eyes were still closed, but her fingers were running lightly over his arm. He let out a choked sob of relief and joy before pulling her closer and nestling his nose in her hair again.

"What… happened…?" she asked softly, trying to open her eyes again and closing them when she saw that everything was still blurry. "Everything's blurry…"

"You p-passed out…" Laxus cried before he couldn't say anything more. Relief flooded his system, though he was still filled with worry over her well-being. "Don't scare m-me like that… P-Please…" Laxus whispered, squeezing her tighter while he tried to calm down.  _She's okay. Thank fucking Mavis Lucy's okay._ His mind only spared a passing thought to the fact that Gray hadn't been killed, and he was thankful that Lucy hadn't done it, but her safety was what Laxus cared most about. He should have known that she wouldn't be able to control Freed's magic when she was like this—the part of her that would stop before killing someone had a hard time surfacing because it was based on both mercy and compassion. Neither of which were things that she had. Laxus didn't even want to imagine what would have happened if he hadn't been there to stop her from doing more harm to both herself and Gray.

Lucy nodded and then pressed a hand to her head as the pressure built with every movement she made.

The small action didn't go unnoticed by Laxus, and he felt like an ass for snapping at Wendy the way he did earlier when she was only trying to help. Lucy needed someone to check and make sure she was okay, and they had someone that could do just that. "W-Wendy… Can y-you…" he tried to ask. His eyes were clamped shut as he took in Lucy's scent, holding her as closely as he could without hurting her frail body.

Wendy jumped when Laxus said her name, but she looked to Gajeel for instruction. She thought he wanted her to go and check on Lucy, but with her being hurt Wendy didn't want to get too close to either of them unless it was okay, since she still didn't understand what Gajeel had meant by Lucy being Laxus' kin. Gajeel nodded, and the young Slayer quickly moved towards to Laxus and Lucy.

"Wendy's gonna ch-check you out …" Laxus whispered, trying to stop the flowing tears and tremors that ran through him. He needed to calm down, to know that Lucy was a hundred percent okay. He  _needed_  her to be okay.

Lucy's eyes shot open, and though everything was still a blur, she could make out the shape of the small blunette coming closer. When she realized how close Wendy was, Lucy unconsciously tensed and dug her nails into Laxus' arm.

Laxus squeezed her lightly, and nuzzled her hair. "Let her help, sis. It's okay…" He didn't pay attention to the pain from Lucy's nails in his flesh, only with getting her to let the young Slayer do her job. "No one's gonna hurt you… I'm here…"

Laxus' words made Lucy's body relax, and then she nodded. "Okay," she whispered, closing her eyes again with the intention of letting them rest so she could see soon.

Wendy moved forward slowly and stopped right next to Laxus and Lucy. "Lucy," she said gently, "I don't have to touch you, but my hands will be close, okay? Right over your heart." When Lucy nodded, Wendy sent a small and gentle pulse of her magic through her hands to check on Lucy's vitals, then extended it to search for anything that was damaged so she could fully assess the situation. She didn't know what exactly had made Lucy start bleeding the way she had, or why she had lost consciousness. From how close Wendy was, she was finally able to smell the faint scent of Lucy's previous nosebleed on both her and Laxus.  _Lucy… what's happening to you?_

Once Wendy's hands pulled away from Lucy, Laxus asked, "What's up?"

"I can't see anything that would have made that happen," Wendy said softly, her eyebrows furrowed.

Laxus sighed and nodded, and when Wendy moved back to sit by Gajeel, he shifted and set Lucy back in the chair. He stood up and sighed, running a hand through his hair and glaring at the books on the desk.  _All this research… For what? Just so she can push herself too far and scare the shit out of everyone._  Laxus shook his head and started closing the books on the desk, hearing Evergreen gasp and Bickslow shift uncomfortably.

"Laxus, what are you doing?" Lucy asked, leaning to the side to see around him. She stood up and carefully walked to his side and watched as he started piling up the books she had been reading.

"Everyone, get the fuck out. Go sit in the living room," Laxus growled.

"Laxus—" Evergreen started, trying to sound as calm as possible in the hopes of not angering him more than he already was.

"NOW!" he roared, rattling the only window in the room. He continued growling until everyone had jumped up and rushed out of the room—Bickslow dragging the still unconscious Gray across the floor, Gajeel pulling Wendy behind him, and Evergreen getting everyone out before slamming the door of the office. He gnashed his teeth together and took several deep breaths. His tears were long gone, and now it was time for him to be pissed.

"Why are you doing this?" Lucy asked, looking across the desk and seeing it mostly empty for the first time in two weeks. "I need to—"

"No. The fuck. You don't," Laxus growled again. "You don't need to keep researching. You need to fucking  _rest_."

"No—" Lucy started, before being cut off by another growl.

Laxus turned to glare at Lucy, who only looked up at him with the same blank expression as always. "Three times, Lucy. Three nosebleeds in less than twenty-four hours. Yesterday was one thing, I can understand getting a little carried away and pushing yourself too hard—I might not like it, but it happens, and that's something I can deal with. But,  _NINE_  fucking books at once? Then almost killing Gray from using Freed's magic on him for  _a fucking HOUR_? That's more than just getting a little carried away, that's you acting like a FUCKING CRAZY PERSON!"

Lucy continued staring at Laxus as he yelled at her.  _I would normally be crying right now. This should be scary…_

"And no," Laxus snorted, "Not just a nosebleed this last time. Nope, throwing some fucking ears into the mix. Just fucking peachy! Do you have ANY idea how fucking terrified I was?! I thought you were fucking DYING!"

Lucy blinked. Then blinked again. "Ears?" she asked.

"YOU WERE BLEEDING OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN EARS, LUCY!" Laxus bellowed. " _That's_  what you're concerned about? Your fucking EARS?! Not the fact that I thought I was gonna lose you? You scared the shit out of me! I thought you were gonna die in my fucking arms! How many motherfucking times do I have to break down for you to get that I DON'T WANNA LOSE MY LITTLE SISTER?!"

Lucy watched Laxus snarl at her, then turn to pace back and forth on the other side of the desk.  _He's so angry right now… He thought I was dying? I was bleeding again? That would explain why he was crying like that… And why he was so scared…_

"What do you think Freed would say if he saw you like this, huh? Do you think he'd want you to do this? Push yourself too fucking hard  _every goddamn day_  and make everyone worry about you constantly? Do you think he'd want you passing out from exhaustion because you're ' _too busy'_  to sleep? Would he want you to stop eating? What about almost killing Gray… Would he want you to do that?"

Lucy thought about what Laxus was asking her for a minute. Finally, she shook her head and said, "No, Freed wouldn't want any of those things."

"THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IT?!"Laxus shouted, rounding on Lucy again and stalking towards her.

"It's the only way to—"

"NO IT ISN'T! How can you not see that, Lucy?!" Laxus ran his hands over his face in frustration, then looked at the young blonde again. "Freed would tell you to lighten the load you're putting on yourself. He'd say that you needed to eat and sleep because there's no way to get anything done without taking care of  _yourself_  FIRST! He'd tell you to let us actually fucking help you! Not just ignore everyone because you don't think we can help with what you're looking for!"

"Laxus—"

"No," Laxus interjected with a sigh, putting a hand up to silence her. "I know I'm an asshole a lot of the time, and usually that's okay… Just… Shit… Just gimme a minute…" He growled as he tried to calm himself down again. Lucy didn't need someone screaming at her at the top of their lungs. She needed someone to be levelheaded.  _Freed is gonna kill me if I tear his office to shreds, regardless of the reason._  When Laxus spoke again, his voice was hardly more than a whisper. "I get that you wanna help Freed. We all do. But you can't keep doing this shit, Lucy. You work yourself too hard, and then I have to try and keep my shit together long enough to help you. I mean, why can't you take a break long enough to get a full night's rest? Where's the harm in taking care of yourself so you can actually get him back?"

"I don't need—"

"Yes, you do," Laxus said, fighting the urge to start yelling again and trying his best to stay calm. "You're driving yourself into the ground. All in the hopes of finding an answer faster. It's been  _three hours_  since you called Crux, why don't you give him a chance to actually get what you asked for instead of trying to do it all on your own? You said he could find answers faster, and yet… Here you are," Laxus paused and gestured toward the desk and chair, "still fucking searching for something."

"It's not that simple, Laxus," Lucy said as she looked into the tormented stormy eyes of her brother.

"Then explain it to me. Help me understand just what the hell you think you're doing," Laxus shot back. "Because, all I see is my little sister withering away in front of me, and there's not a damn thing I can do to stop it."

Lucy shook her head and dropped her gaze to the floor. "I don't know how to explain it…"

"Try," Laxus said, crossing his arms over his chest defiantly.

"Crux can only find so much information. Even with what he finds, there's no guarantee that he'll have the answers I'm looking for. I asked him to search for information concerning Freed's father and brothers in regards to magic. And a full biography on Mr. Justine himself. When I meet with him, I'll need to know as much as possible to talk him into giving Freed back. The more I know about Mr. Justine, the better I'll be able to anticipate what he'll say, what biases he has, and where his weaknesses are. I have to be as prepared as possible for it to work. One wrong move, one simple mistake, could unravel everything I've done… And we'll lose Freed for good. I'll only have one chance to talk to Mr. Justine, and I refuse to let ignorance on my part be the determining factor on whether or not I—" Lucy stopped talking when she saw small droplet of water landing on the floor, followed by another. Then several more. She looked up at Laxus, wondering if he was crying because of something she said, and saw shock written across his completely dry face.

Laxus couldn't believe she was crying again. While she was awake. He took a step closer to Lucy and brushed her bangs away from her face, then whispered, "Don't cry, sis… We're gonna get him back."

Lucy didn't know what to make of Laxus' words, so she just stared at him.

Laxus lightly grabbed Lucy's hand and touched her fingers to her tear-stained cheek, then pulled it away so she could see what he was talking about. While Lucy looked at her hand, he lightly rubbed his hands up and down her arms, and said, "We're gonna get him back. Let Crux do his work, and relax for a little bit. I'm sure he'll have something that can help, so we just have to be patient, okay?"

Lucy looked from her hand back to Laxus and said, "I just want Freed back…"

* * *

Bickslow picked Gray up and roughly deposited him on the couch, earning a huff from Wendy and a snort from Gajeel. The guy may have almost died, but as far as Bickslow was concerned he deserved every bit of hell Lucy handed him. He ran a hand through his hair, then walked over to the dining room table and sat down, glaring at the tabletop.

Evergreen sighed and went to get the tea she had made, motioning for Wendy and Gajeel to follow Bickslow. Once everyone was seated, they sat in silence for a minute, none of them wanting to break the silence.

Everyone flinched when they heard Laxus start yelling, though only Wendy and Gajeel were able to hear everything he was saying. "Gajeel," Wendy said worriedly, "Is Lucy going to be okay? He seems really upset…"

"I haven't heard him this angry in a long time," Evergreen said before taking a sip of her tea, and steadying the shaking cup with both hands.

" _YOU WERE BLEEDING OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN EARS, LUCY!"_

"He's not gonna hurt her, Squirt," Gajeel said, wincing when Laxus started telling her how scared he was. "He's freaked out, sure. He'll yell and do whatever else he needs to do, but he won't lay a finger on her."

" _I DON'T WANNA LOSE MY LITTLE SISTER"_

The group let out a collective sigh. It was obvious that Laxus cared about Lucy, more so to Gajeel than anyone else, and that single statement let everyone know exactly why he was so upset. Laxus was scared of something happening to Lucy. "So, does someone wanna explain what the fuck happened to make Bunny Girl attack the Stripper?" Gajeel asked, hoping to try and ignore the raging Slayer in the other room.  _If she wasn't his kin, I'd be worried…_

Evergreen took a deep breath, then sighed and shook her head. "Lucy was asleep when he got here, so we waited downstairs until Laxus brought her down. Bickslow and I went over everything we could think of—how close was too close for her, safe topics to talk about, explaining not to let her ignoring him get him upset… When she woke up, she ignored him and went into the office."

"Laxus and I talked to him before we went in there. He wanted to know why Lucy had fallen asleep on Laxus," Bickslow added. When he saw the shocked faces staring back at him, he nodded and said, "Laxus was just as surprised. He was brushing her hair after her shower, and she just leaned back and passed out. Anyway, we told him not to get too close, that whatever she would say if he got her talking would most likely upset him, but he  _couldn't_ touch her unless she said it was okay."

"Then Gray sat down and tried to get her to talk to him. He was doing pretty well, considering she doesn't usually take the time to respond to anyone but Laxus in the first place… Gray told her to snap out of it, that she couldn't help Freed like this," Evergreen said sadly, "She asked if he wanted to know what she would feel if she wasn't like this, and he… He was an idiot. We told him that he should go… That what Lucy was going to say wouldn't be anything he wants to hear."

"We even dragged him out of the room to try and make him leave," Bickslow added, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms while he glared at the unconscious mage on the couch. "He was being an asshole. Apparently, he hasn't said a word to her since he left Team Natsu—"

"But, that was almost a year ago!" Wendy shouted, looking through the archway that led to the living room at Gray who was still unconscious.

"Exactly," Bickslow muttered with a scowl. "When we were in the hallway, he said she needed to get over Freed so she could move on…"

Finally, Gajeel turned to Bickslow and said, "Well, I think he fucking deserved everything she did."

"Gajeel!" Wendy shouted.

"What?" he asked, raising a pierced eyebrow in question. "He's a fucking idiot if he thinks she'll just get over the guy. It's pretty obvious by how she reacted to him getting taken that she loves him. Bunny Girl's not gonna give up 'til she gets him back."

"What makes you say that?" Evergreen asked softly. She didn't realize that Gajeel knew so much about Lucy, or anyone for that matter, since he seemed so stand-offish.

Gajeel smirked and looked towards the office through the wall. "Bunny Girl's a fighter. It's what she does. I beat her half to death and used her for target practice when I was in Phantom Lord, and she still said that she felt bad for me. I hated her back then for it, but she never gave up. She never does."

Wendy smiled softly at her partner, then turned to Bickslow and Evergreen and asked, "How did you know what she was going to do? I thought she couldn't feel anything."

Evergreen sighed and shook her head, "Lucy… she does a lot of thinking now, even while she's reading—"

"That's usually why she gets nosebleeds," Bickslow interjected. "She's able to process more information without her emotions, but she's still stubborn."

" _THEN WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING IT?!"_

Evergreen flinched at how upset Laxus still was, how loudly he was screaming at Lucy, then continued. "When someone is talking to her, she mostly ignores them and only pauses from time to time to look at them. We all knew that he was pushing her too much, trying to get her to talk to him. Whenever she gives you her full attention, stopping everything she's doing to focus solely on you… It doesn't end well."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" Gajeel asked.

Evergreen looked at her nails as she twiddled her fingers and sighed. "She'll talk to you, but she ends up making you feel horrible in the process. Instead of a short answer, she explains everything that's going on inside of her head. She did it to me once… It took Laxus and Bickslow three hours to get me to unlock my bedroom door. When she did it to Bickslow, he had to go down to the guild to blow up training dummies and cool himself down."

"What about Laxus?" Wendy asked softly.  _No one knew that_ _ **this**_ _was happening to Lucy,_  she thought sadly.  _Then again, if we had known, someone would have come much sooner… and I don't think that would have been good._

"He's the exception," Evergreen answered with a sad chuckle. "She doesn't hurt him if he touches her, and no matter how long he talks to her she lets him. He even got between her and the desk to try and force her to eat… and she just looked at him."

"He's screaming at her right now," Bickslow added, shaking his head. "Usually if someone gets too loud, she just ignores them…"

"But, she's answering his questions," Wendy said with a nod. She looked at Gajeel and said, "Is it because she's his kin? Does it work both ways?"

Gajeel thought for a moment. He still hadn't explained what kin was to Wendy, but it wasn't something that a lot of people should know about.  _Then again, this is her and Laxus' team… Maybe they should know…_  Finally, Gajeel sighed and nodded. "Yeah, Squirt. It works both ways." He glanced at Evergreen and Bickslow, then added, "His instincts tell him to take care of her, and her instincts tell her to let him do it."

"So, regardless of what happens to her, Lucy will let Laxus help her?" Wendy asked hopefully.

Gajeel nodded again, then added, "But, Bunny Girl's stubborn as hell. Probably why Laxus still has a hard time getting her to do shit sometimes."

After a minute of hearing no shouting from the office, Evergreen looked worriedly from the wall to Wendy and Gajeel. "It's really quiet now… Is… Is everything alright?"

Gajeel nodded and Wendy said, "He calmed down. They're talking." She could hear everything that Lucy was saying to Laxus, and when she smelled tears she glanced at Gajeel.

_"Don't cry, sis… We're gonna get him back."_

Gajeel's eyes widened marginally and he gave Wendy a small, almost imperceptible, shake of his head to tell her to keep quiet.  _Bunny Girl's crying?_

* * *

"I know you do, Lucy," Laxus said gently. "We all want him back here where he belongs."

Lucy looked back at her moistened fingers, then rubbed them together.  _I can't feel any emotions, but I'm crying._  As her fingers rubbed together, she realized that she could tell they were wet.

A bright flash of golden light filled the room, causing Laxus to jump, and Crux floated in front of the desk. "Miss Lucy," he said. "I only have a portion of what you have requested, but I have been informed that your research so far has led you to a dead end."

"Yes," Lucy replied, looking at the old spirit.

He handed her a thin folder and said, "Here is a list of books for you to read, both literature and philosophy, and his thesis along with a  _full_  biography. This should be enough information until my search is complete. If not, please summon me again, and I will give you anything else I have come across. I don't anticipate it taking more than one week for you."

Lucy nodded, instantly reading the pages in the folder. "I'll see you when you're finished searching, Crux."

"Of course, Miss Lucy," Crux said sadly before disappearing.

Once the spirit was gone, Laxus sighed and pulled the folder from Lucy's hands. She looked up at him as he laid it down on the desk, and when he turned back to her he shook his head. "No more reading for right now."

"But, Crux—"

Laxus put his hand up to stop her, leaning on the desk himself, and said, "I know Crux just gave you some more information, and you want to get to work on it… But, I'm not gonna let you overwork yourself again."

"Laxus," Lucy tried again, "This is information on Freed's dad. I need—"

"Lucy," Laxus pleaded, leaning forward and taking her hands in his, "You need to rest." He paused and then smiled softly at her. "How 'bout this… You agree to relax and take a break, and I'll read through everything Crux brought. If I find something that  _I_  think is important, I'll make a note of it. Then, when you get back to work you'll have a little less to worry about."

Lucy was about to object, her mouth was open and ready to do just that, but the hopeful look on Laxus' face made her pause. She considered what he was saying: he would read through the information so she could rest, then he would let her read through it herself.  _He wants to help me. Everyone wants to help me. Why do I push them all away?_  "Laxus," Lucy whispered as she stared into his stormy blue eyes, "I want to try something. Will you help me with it?"

Laxus' eyes widened and he nodded. "Of course. What do I need to do?"

Lucy looked at him for another moment, then said, "Just… Stay still." Ignoring Laxus' confused expression, Lucy took a careful step forward and put her hands on his stomach, still looking into his eyes. After a deep breath, her hands slowly slid around behind him and she pressed herself against him, standing between his legs as he leaned on the desk, and turning her head to the side while she laid it gently on his chest.

Laxus stared down at the top of Lucy's head. She was hugging him. Lucy had taken the initiative to  _hug_ him. He waited only a moment before carefully wrapping his arms around her shoulders and laying his head on top of hers. They stayed like that for a few minutes before Laxus finally asked, "Lucy, why did you want to try hugging me?"

Lucy squeezed him just a little bit and said, "I was wondering if I could feel anything by hugging you instead of just standing still while you hugged me. It's obvious that something has changed. I was curious to see if I could feel anything yet."

Laxus nodded and gave her a soft smile. "I understand. Can you feel anything?"

Lucy thought for a moment, then shrugged. "I don't know."

Laxus couldn't help but chuckle at her response. "Are you  _thinking_  about whether you feel something?" he asked. When she nodded he rubbed a hand up and down her back. "Don't think, sis. Just close your eyes and see if you still feel empty, okay?"

Lucy nodded and closed her eyes.

"Take a deep breath," Laxus whispered.

She did. In and out. Then another, in and out. Laxus' scent, a mixture of woods and thunderstorms, filled her as she breathed, and it enveloped Lucy as if it was a warm and comforting blanket.

"How do you feel?" he asked softly.

"Safe," she whispered, slowly opening her eyes to look up at him. "I feel safe, Laxus."

Laxus' exhilaration was hidden behind the soft smile on his face while he nodded. "Glad to hear it," he whispered as he pulled her closer to him. He heard the slightest lilt in her voice again when she spoke. It was hardly there, as if it was too weak to break past the wall that had blocked out her emotions. It seemed more like a crack had formed in that wall, and only small trickles of who Lucy really was were leaking through to the surface.  _Something came back… She's coming back to us…_

* * *

The small group of mages sat around the table in silence while they waited for Lucy and Laxus to come out of the office. They all wanted to know how she was doing, how Laxus was doing, and what needed to be done. Fifteen minutes went by before they heard the door open, and two sets of footsteps walking towards the dining room. They immediately saw that Laxus seemed more relaxed, and even had a small smile on his face. When everyone looked at Lucy, she looked exactly the same as she always did, though Evergreen and Bickslow noticed the slight glisten to her eyes that only came after crying.

Laxus carefully led Lucy to the chair Freed usually sat in, then sat himself down next to her and placed the folder that Crux had brought them on the table. He pulled out a single sheet of paper with his own handwriting on it and passed it to Bickslow. As Bickslow skimmed over the list, then looked back at him with confusion, Laxus said, "Something's changed."

Everyone sat completely still while they waited for Laxus to elaborate. His voice had been stern as it usually was, but there was still a small smile on his face while he spoke.

"Lucy called Crux before she took a nap earlier and had him do some research of Freed's family," Laxus said, then gestured to the folder in front of him as he continued. "He's not done searching, but she's hit a dead end on her own so he brought her what he had already found."

"Is that what this is?" Bickslow asked, lifting the paper Laxus had given him.

Laxus nodded, then got up and went to get Lucy a glass of water and a small salad while he spoke. "We've got a full bio on Freed's dad, along with his thesis from college, and a list of books that Crux believes guide his own philosophy on life or some shit."

Lucy kept her eyes locked on the table while everyone let the information sink in. When Laxus was silent for a moment, she said, "I'm not going to read it right now. Laxus says I need to rest, and I can read it later…"

Evergreen gasped and stared wide-eyed at Lucy. This was the first time that the Celestial mage had turned down researching  _anything_. "Lucy…" she whispered.

Laxus walked back into the dining room and set the glass and bowl of salad on the table in front of Lucy, then took his seat. When she grabbed the glass of water and took a sip, but made no move to eat, he nudged her with his elbow. "Sis, remember what I said. You eat, take a nap, and then have dinner with us, and  _then_  you can read what Crux brought before you go back to bed," he said gently.

Much to everyone's surprise, Lucy looked at Laxus for a second, then nodded and started to eat. Because Laxus was the only one that could get her to eat in the first place, Evergreen and Bickslow never saw her doing it. Lucy's face was completely blank as she took slow bites, her eyes trained on the table in front of her. In no time, the salad was gone and Lucy took another sip of water before sitting back in her seat.

Laxus cleared his throat to get everyone's attention off of Lucy, then continued. "Bix, I need you to head down to the guild and see if you can get those books for her. She says Freed had a couple on the original list, but she's read them already. Those are the only ones she hasn't read and doesn't have access to right now."

Bickslow nodded and said, "I'll have Levy help me find them. Chick knows her way around a library."

Gajeel snorted and said, "Surprised Shrimp hasn't been buried with all the books in her place alone." When he noticed everyone looking at him questioningly, Gajeel rolled his eyes and scowled at the blush that crept up his cheeks. "Shut up," he muttered.

Wendy giggled and added, "It's true. The last time I slept over at Levy's place, a pile of books fell on top of me when I woke up. Levy had no clue where I was, and I couldn't move, but luckily Gajeel was picking me up so we could go on a mission. He followed my scent and saved me!"

Gajeel smirked and let out a small chuckle. "Gihi, you'd probably be a pile of bones by now if I hadn't come by. Probably would've given Shrimp a heart attack when she found you in a few years…"

Everyone but Lucy burst out laughing at the morbid picture of Wendy's skeleton underneath a pile of heavy books, and finally Evergreen shook her head and wiped away a tear before saying, "Gajeel, that's nothing to laugh about." Her poor attempt at scolding the grumpy Slayer only made everyone laugh again. It was strange to hear laughter filling the house again, and the Raijinshuu each noted that while the laughter was freeing, it just wasn't the same without Lucy and Freed joining in. "So, Laxus. What can I do to help?" Evergreen asked, wiping away another tear—and smiling because it was from something happy and not feeling helpless.

"I need you to call Gramps back and let him know that Lucy's gonna write him a letter about what happened today. He won't get it until tomorrow, because I'm not letting her back in the office until morning, but he'll get her side of the story. Afterwards, if he has any questions, he can call me and I'll answer them." When Evergreen nodded, wincing slightly at having to call Makarov, Laxus continued. "I also need you to take over meals. Lucy's gonna start eating  _at least_  twice a day." He paused and looked at Lucy while stressing how often she would be eating.

Lucy nodded, but her eyes never left the table.  _Laxus said to relax. I'm not tense, though. He said not to think too much. How can I not think? There's nothing else for me to do. If I'm not researching, then what am I supposed to do? I can't just sit here. Freed needs my help._

Laxus stopped and frowned at Lucy. She wasn't looking at anyone, just at the table in front of her. "Sis?" he said softly, nudging her when she didn't look at him.

_If I'm not reading or learning, then there's nothing that I can do to help. I ate, like Laxus said I should. I know he wants to help me, so I'll let him. He cares, he won't leave like everyone else has. He's been trying to take care of me since Freed was taken away. I told him earlier that I knew I couldn't help Freed if I didn't take care of myself, but as soon as I woke up… I went back to doing what I usually do. I even added more books to try and make up for lost time while I slept._

"Lucy," Laxus pushed, turning in his chair to face her.

Something inside of Lucy clicked into place while she thought. She couldn't tell what it was, but didn't have to wait long to feel a small amount of remorse blooming inside of her.  _Everyone's been so worried about me, and all I've done is ignore them. I can't laugh anymore, there's no reason to without him here. It's my fault he was taken in the first place… If I had been stronger…_

"Sparky, you smell that?" Gajeel asked, his eyebrows pushing together while he concentrated on the faint scent from the blonde. Her head had lowered so no one could see her face, but he could still smell the tears falling down her cheeks again.

Laxus closed his eyes and focused on the scents around him. He ignored the other mages in the house, the salad he had just made for Lucy, the smell of books, and the lingering scent of Crux on the folder on the table. Finally, he was able to pinpoint Lucy alone, and sifted through her own scents to find what Gajeel was talking about. Past her body wash and conditioner, past her own natural scent, past the tears that were falling again and the dried blood that hadn't been washed off completely, and past Freed's lingering scent on the shirt she was wearing. He finally found it, it was faint—and he would have missed it if Gajeel hadn't pointed it out—but he smelled something very close to guilt…  _What the hell?_

 _I can cry, but I don't feel any sadness. I don't feel anything but that small bit of remorse… It's my fault that Laxus hasn't seen Mira in two weeks. Evergreen cries every day because of how I treat her, and how helpless she feels. Bickslow doesn't smile anymore, his babies hardly talk when I'm around… How can they stay by my side when I've been like this? It doesn't make sense._  Lucy's mind was whirling with her thoughts as she held tightly onto the first emotion she'd been able to experience since Christmas. Of course, it had to be remorse and not something more positive.  _If I've treated everyone like this, they shouldn't have to deal with me. I make them miserable…_  Lucy quickly stood up and walked out of the room, ignoring everyone at the table and Laxus calling her name. She ran up the stairs as quickly as she could, and laid down on her and Freed's bed.

"Shit," Laxus muttered, standing up to go after her. "Bix, head to the guild with Wendy and Gajeel. Ever, you know what to do. Wendy, Gajeel, I'm gonna trust your judgment on what you tell the guild when you get there." He gave them a pointed look, and knew that they understood him—they could talk to the guild about what happened, but he didn't want anyone knowing just how bad it was for Lucy.  _If anything, Bix is walking with them… He'll probably talk about what they need to keep to themselves._  With that, he rushed off to find Lucy and try to talk with her.

"What the hell just happened?" Bickslow asked. "Her soul's better than it was earlier, why'd she go running off like that?"

Gajeel stood up from the table and shook his head while he went to collect Gray. "She's feeling remorseful," he said grimly. "It's hardly there, but she's feeling it… and crying…" He looked over to the still sitting Wendy, and said, "C'mon, Squirt. Let's get the Stripper to the guild before Juvia floods the place. I don't feel like eating rusted out iron because that woman can't control herself."

Wendy nodded and jumped up, then turned to give Evergreen a hug. "You let me know if you want someone to talk to, okay?" she whispered. "I understand now… You can call me any time."

Evergreen gasped and pulled Wendy closer to her, hugging her fiercely with new and grateful tears falling. "Thanks, Wendy," she whispered. "I'll do that." It was nice to know that there was someone else out there, another girl no matter how young she was, that understood what was going on with Lucy. Evergreen didn't want to bother the guys with how she was feeling, because they were feeling it too. She just cried and felt helpless, absolutely useless to do anything that could help Lucy and Freed, and didn't even talk with Elfman about how she was feeling. Wendy saw firsthand what was going on with Lucy, and now Evergreen finally had someone she could open up to about it all. Evergreen stood up and walked everyone to the door, giving Bickslow a quick hug before they left. Once she was alone, she felt a little lighter. Sure, Lucy was crying and feeling guilty, but at least she was feeling  _something_. Things were getting better, slowly but surely, and the mere thought of it put a pep in her step while she cleaned up the teacups, then sat down to watch a movie on her own before making dinner.


	11. Safety, Happiness, Hope

"Lucy?" Laxus asked softly once he found her lying curled up on the bed. He slowly walked over and sat down next to her, then started rubbing slow circles on her back. "What's wrong, sis?"

Lucy shook her head and closed her eyes, not wanting to see how much she was hurting Laxus.  _This is all my fault. Everyone's miserable because of me. Why doesn't he just leave? Then he could be happy._ "Just… just go, Laxus," she whispered.

Laxus frowned as the scent of her single emotion started becoming clearer and mixing with her tears. Lucy's face was blank, but her voice had wavered slightly as if she was in pain. "I'm not leaving you," he said sadly. "You're my sister, Lucy. I'm not going anywhere."

She turned and burrowed her face in the blankets and mumbled, "I'm not really your sister, Laxus. You don't have any obligation to take care of me."  _I'm all alone without Freed. Laxus will go soon, just like everyone else. It's my fault that he'll leave too. If I had been stronger, Freed wouldn't have been taken… Then no one would have to pity me for being like this. Why am I always messing things up for people?_  "Just go… You'll be happier without me around, anyway…"

Laxus' eyes widened and he watched as Lucy rolled over to face away from him, curling around herself more. "No, I won't…" he whispered, looking down at where his hand had fallen onto the bed when she moved. "I'm not leaving. The last thing you need is to lose someone else that you care about…"

"I don't have the capacity to care about anyone. I know you love me, just the same as I loved you when I was still able to… Just leave… You and everyone else are better off without me around to make you miserable… This is all my fault…" Lucy was roughly pulled back and ended up laying on her back and looking up at a very upset Laxus. She blinked, then blinked again.  _He's upset again… I upset him… I just told him to go like I knew he would eventually. Why can't I just make people happy like I used to? No one ever got this upset with me before Freed was taken…_

"This is  _not_  your fault, Lucy," Laxus ground out between clenched teeth as he straddled Lucy's legs and hovered over her.

"You're upset because of me," Lucy said while her tears kept falling. "Everyone's upset because of me… I'm not normal anymore, and you all just want Freed back… And you want me to be happy again… But, every time you look at me and see that I'm not better… It just…" Lucy paused, feeling the remorse inside of her growing in intensity. "It's m-my fault everyone's m-miserable," she cried, not realizing that her face had lost its blank expression and was replaced with a deep sadness. "All I d-do is make things w-worse for everyone…"

"That's not true," Laxus said as his anger instantly dissipated, his face becoming soft and the stormy depths of his eyes only showing her how much he cared. He lifted a hand and brushed away her tears before he said, "You don't make everyone miserable. The only thing you said that was true is that we want you happy and that we want Freed back," he whispered.

"You guys are holed up here w-with me… I make Ever cry. Bix doesn't smile anymore. And you…" Lucy winced when it felt like a sharp pain lanced through her heart at the thought of hurting the people that care about her.  _I failed everyone._ Sharp pain.  _I make them miserable._  It was like an arrow to her chest.  _I almost killed Gray._ The pain swelled.  _I hurt my big brother._ A sword slicing right through her, cleaving her in half, would have been less painful.  _I failed Freed._  Lucy cried out as that last thought went through head, the sharp pains in her chest beginning to burn. It was like her heart was crumbling right then after so many arrows of guilt had pierced through it, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. "Wh-Why does it have to hurt so much?" she sobbed, trying to curl in on herself to stop the pain inside of her.

Laxus watched it all happen right in front of him. Her eyes never left his, and he saw what little was left of her blank expression disappear completely, leaving only sorrow in its wake. Lucy broke down right before his eyes, and when she couldn't roll away her hands shot up to cover her face and muffle the heart-wrenching sobs she was letting loose. "It's okay, Lucy," Laxus whispered as he moved to sit beside her. "What do you mean it hurts?"

"I h-hurt everyone… It's all m-my fault!" she shouted, finally curling her knees up to her chest while she rolled onto her side. "Ever, Bix, the guild… G-Gray… You… EVERYONE! It hurts… Laxus, it hurts so much… I didn't m-mean to—" Lucy couldn't talk anymore, but she couldn't be near one of the people that had stuck by her side no matter what happened. Laxus was the one person in her life, aside from Freed, that truly loved her, and she'd done nothing but hurt him. Lucy tore herself from the bed just before Laxus could reach for her, and rushed back down the stairs taking them two at a time.

"Lucy!" Laxus shouted as he ran after her. He followed closely behind her through the living room, ignoring Evergreen's widened eyes and questions about what was happening, into the kitchen and out the back door.

Once Lucy's bare feet hit the snow-covered lawn she looked around her and broke down. There was nowhere for her to run to, and seeing the backyard only brought out painful memories.  _This is where I tested out my eye patch. That's where I talked with Aquarius after kissing Freed. Looking at the clouds with Laxus, and making shapes with them. Meditating in the grass with Ever. Bix chasing me around._ Every memory she had swarmed her at once. The small barbecues they had as a team, watching the stars with Freed just before Fall started, swimming just before lunch when it was too hot outside to do anything else. Lucy dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" she wailed as the memories of everything she had lost kept running through her mind.

Laxus slowly walked over to Lucy and knelt down next to her. He looked at her for only a moment, watching how her whole body shook with the force of her sobs, before he wrapped his arms around her protectively and pulled her into his chest.

Lucy tensed until she recognized the comforting warmth that surrounded her.  _Safe… I only feel safe with—_ "B-Big brother?" she whimpered.

Laxus nodded and felt tears welling in his eyes as he kissed the top of her head. "I'm here, little sis. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

Wendy walked between Bickslow and Gajeel—who was still carrying an unconscious Gray on one shoulder—with a frown on her face. No one had known how bad things were, and she understood why the Raijinshuu were keeping it quiet: Fairy Tail was filled with caring people who just wanted to help, but there wasn't a thing that anyone could do to help Lucy by being close to her physically. Wendy glanced at Bickslow for a moment, then back at the ground and said, "Gajeel?"

"What's up, Squirt?"

"Can you tell me about Laxus and Lucy now?" she asked, still frowning at the ground.

Bickslow chuckled and said, "Gajeel, I think you're rubbing off on her…" When the Iron Dragon Slayer raised a pierced brow in question, Bickslow motioned to the younger Slayer and said, "I've never seen her looking so pissed…"

Gajeel looked down and chuckled. "Gihi, she's not pissed. She's thinking." He shrugged, then turned his attention to Wendy. "You mean the kin thing, Squirt?"

Wendy nodded, then looked up at her partner. "I don't understand it. I've never even heard of it before."

"There's a ton of shit your dragon didn't get to teach ya," Gajeel answered with a scowl. He glanced at Bickslow, then said, "Keep this shit to yourself, man…"

"Yeah yeah," Bickslow muttered, "Secret Dragon Slayer handshake and shit, I got it."

"Secret! Secret!" his babies chirped, though they didn't have their usually cheerful tones.

Wendy giggled, then looked at Gajeel expectantly.

Gajeel shook his head and said, "Dragons value three things in life: their mates, their young, and their kin. Mates and young are easy, and you know how that works."  _Thank fucking Mavis for that… I_ _ **really**_ _don't wanna teach her about sex…_

Wendy nodded, her eyes looking into right into the ruby red ones of her partner as he taught her yet another lesson that Grandeeney hadn't.

"Kin is more complicated," Gajeel said softly. "It can be your parents, siblings, or any other blood relative that you're close to. Blood relation doesn't necessarily mean you'll see them as kin when it comes to your instincts. It's how close you are to them, and the bond between you is almost like being their mate."

"But, they're not blood related," Wendy said thoughtfully. "He just  _feels_  like she's his sister."

Gajeel nodded. "That's where it gets complicated. Bunny Girl and Sparky are close enough that his instincts tell him they're related. That she needs to be protected. As far as his instincts are concerned, she's his to care for as his family, and the only ones he'll love more than her are his mate and young. It's not common for a Slayer to find kin outside of their own blood relatives, but when it does happen it seems like it was always supposed to be that way."

"So, he's trying to protect her?" Wendy asked softly. "That's why he wouldn't let me help when she was unconscious?"

Gajeel scowled at the ground. "Yeah, his instincts say he has to keep her safe, since she's weak right now. Kin's blood—just like mates and young—make our instincts go haywire."

"How can you tell that they're kin?" Wendy asked. "If we didn't already know them, how could we tell the difference?"

"When any of the three get sick, you take care of them and don't leave their side for very long, and you never get too far away from them—just like Sparky did with Bunny Girl. The biggest difference is when you smell their blood. When you smell the blood of your mate, it's your job to find what made them bleed and kill it. It's the same with your young—and it's the mate's job to care for them while you're away. When your kin bleeds, it's  _their_  mate's job to find the cause and get rid of it, and it's  _your_  job to care for them."

Wendy furrowed her brow and nodded. It made sense that a Slayer would care for their own mate, and that the mate would care for their young. "But, Lucy doesn't have a mate… And she wasn't bleeding from an injury from out here—there's no one that attacked her…"

"She doesn't have a mate, you're right," Gajeel started as he tried to work out how to put the concept into words. "Freed would be the closest thing to a mate for her… Sparky sees her as sick, so he's taking care of her. Adding in her blood makes him go a little berserk, especially  _because_  she's not being attacked. It goes hand-in-hand with her being sick…" Gajeel winced and shrugged. He wasn't the best with his words, but he had to make the effort so Wendy could understand it. Over the past six months, they'd found out just how little Grandeeney had taught her before disappearing, so Gajeel took her under his wing to make sure she learned what she should have years ago.

Wendy thought for a moment then said, "So, her blood makes him feel more protective over her, and that's mixing with how he is already because she's sick?"

Gajeel sighed in relief and nodded. "Exactly, Squirt."

"What else is there?"

"You treat kin the same way you would treat your mate or young when it comes to affection: nuzzling, purring, growling, taking in their scent, all of it. Mates have sexual desire and heat behind their affection, and along with everything else you also tend to bite them more often, even if it's just a playful nip here and there; no matter what kind of affection you show you're mate, there's  _always_  a heat to it because you're marking them with your scent to ward off anyone else. When you show affection to your young, it's gentle and playful; your young is the next of your line, perfectly innocent, and any affection you show them is just like any other parent—except you mark them with your scent to let others know whose line they're from. Kin is somewhere in the middle… To most people it would seem like your kin is your mate, unless they can see the lack of sexual desire behind your affection. The only thing that is a big tell is the lack of biting—biting a mate is a reminder of their mark, and you don't really bite anyone else, except maybe when playing with your young. When you show affection to your kin, you're marking them with your scent so everyone knows whose protection they're under. Make sense?" Gajeel asked softly.

Wendy thought for a moment, then nodded with a small smile. She thought back to what she had seen between Laxus and Lucy: how he was cradling her, the way he nuzzled her hair and took in her scent even though he was sobbing, the small comforting circles he drew on her arms with his thumbs. Laxus was gentle and tender with Lucy while he cared for her like that, and the few times Wendy saw his eyes, there was love in them along with his fear. It was the love of a sibling, nothing more and nothing less.  _I see now,_  she thought, then she took a step closer to Gajeel and nuzzled his arm briefly before saying, "Thanks, Gajeel."

Gajeel smirked and let out a small laugh and ruffled her hair. "No problem, Squirt. Someone's gotta teach ya."

After listening to Gajeel's little lesson on Dragon Slayers, Bickslow realized that the raven-haired mage was completely right. It was strange to everyone when Laxus and Lucy bonded so quickly, and got so close, but after no time at all it just felt as if it had always been that way. Once they had come back to the house on Christmas, Laxus never left Lucy's side for long, and he was the only one she would let close to her. Bickslow had seen how careful Laxus was with Lucy, and now the way he had found them sleeping the week before in the office made sense. He watched Wendy and Gajeel interacting while he taught her, and a small smile stretched across his face.  _Wonder if they realize they're doing the same thing…_  "So…" Bickslow said hesitantly, "How does the kin thing even start?"

Wendy looked from Bickslow to Gajeel and raised her eyebrows. "Yeah… Is it like mating? It just happens because it's fate?"

Gajeel shook his head and smirked. "Nah.  _You_  build the bond with the person, and your instincts take their cue from how deep your feelings run. But it has to be mutual."

"Huh?" Bickslow asked.

Gajeel rolled his eyes, but when he saw Wendy looking just as confused he sighed. "Sparky and Bunny got to know each other. They got closer, and eventually started to love each other like they're really siblings."

"Right…?" Bickslow said slowly.

"So, when Bunny came into the guild Sparky could tell something was wrong, because of how close they already were. That's why he went up to her so quickly. And why she let him touch her when she cut Flamebrain for getting too close. When Sparky found out she was sick—that she couldn't feel anything—his instincts went into protection mode. He probably didn't know it was a Slayer thing for him to refuse to leave her side."

"But, if it's built on the bond they have already, then wouldn't it still be what Laxus would do?" Wendy asked.

Gajeel thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah. He loves her and would do anything for her, so he wouldn't leave anyway. The Slayer part just makes him a dick about it."

Bickslow chuckled and shook his head. "Damn… Guess that explains a lot then… Is it cool if I tell Ever about this? Might help her feel better."

Gajeel shrugged. "Do what you want. I'm gonna have to talk with Sparky about it anyway, since he didn't have a dragon to teach him this shit. Make sure he knows what's what. You're his teammates, so I don't see a reason to keep it from ya… But, Bunny's his biggest weakness until he finds a mate."

"So, does that mean that Master's his kin too?" Wendy asked.

"No. Sparky's related to him, but they're not close. He loves the Master as his grandfather, but he's not nearly as close to the old man as he is with Bunny Girl," Gajeel answered.

"But, that bond was made  _before_  she got sick, right?" Wendy asked again.

"Right. It wouldn't have happened if they didn't already love each other, and if they weren't as close as they are." He paused for a moment, then added, "Bunny Girl's lucky that she's his kin… If she didn't have Sparky, I don't think there would be any easy way of helping her… Especially since she's so damn stubborn…"

"You said the kin thing goes both ways," Bickslow said after a few silent minutes. When Gajeel nodded, he asked, "So, Lucy's instincts will tell her to help Laxus, right?"

Gajeel stopped and furrowed his brow in question while he looked at Bickslow. "Normally, I'd say yeah. She'd help him anyway, but her instincts make her more determined to help. But, now? I guess her instincts would  _try_ , but she doesn't really feel anything…"

Bickslow smiled softly as they all started walking again. "She helps him too, y'know," he said happily. "Last week we found the two of them asleep in the office, and after they woke up and Lucy got back to work Laxus told us what happened. He said that she told him there was no reason for her to live if Freed wasn't alive either, and he lost it." Bickslow paused and frowned as he pushed past the more personal side of what Laxus had said to them, then continued. "He broke down in front of her, and laid his head on her knees… She didn't realize she was doing it, but she started running her hands through his hair, and then moved so he could lay on her stomach while she was holding him. After a while, they fell asleep like that until we found them later on."

Wendy smiled softly and said, "Maybe she's better than we thought…"

* * *

Evergreen watched from the doorway with a tear in her eye as the snow continued to fall around the blondes in the yard. Lucy's voice wasn't monotone, and the short glimpse she'd seen as the blonde girl had run past showed her that Lucy's face wasn't blank either. Lucy was in pain, but with the way she had screamed out that she was sorry, Evergreen knew it wasn't physical pain.  _Lucy…_  Evergreen sighed and looked back the girl on the lawn for another minute before heading back inside.  _He's the one that can help her right now._

Lucy shivered and moved closer to Laxus when a strong gust of wind whipped past them and covered them in a fresh dusting of snow, though her crying didn't calm down in the slightest. "I'm s-sorry, Laxus… I n-never wanted to hurt you…" she whispered through her tears.

"It's okay, sis. I know you didn't mean it," he whispered back.

"B-But I hurt  _everyone_!" she cried. "Whether I m-meant it or n-not… I… I can't do this…"

Laxus pressed a soft kiss to her hair and shook his head while he said, "You  _can_  do it, sis. You're not alone—you've got me, Ever, and Bix. And we'll have Freed back soon." When Lucy shivered again, he realized how long they had been outside in the snow. Laxus carefully picked her up and carried her back inside. He went right up the stairs, but instead of going to Freed and Lucy's room, he took her to his own room. He carefully sat down on the bed, with Lucy sitting sideways in his lap and shivering, and held her as long as she needed him to.

"But… what if we don't get him back, Laxus?" she whispered. "I'll n-never be normal again… I n-need him to—" Lucy hiccupped and curled closer into the warmth Laxus provided. "I don't want you to h-hate me!"

"Shh, just relax," Laxus whispered, rubbing soothing circles on her arm with his thumb. "I could  _never_  hate you, Lucy. I'm not going anywhere." He felt Lucy nod, and then she shivered again causing him to frown.  _She's cold._ He quickly readjusted and pulled the blanket down so he could lay them down. "We'll get him back. But, if for whatever reason we don't, you'll  _always_  have me, okay?"

Lucy felt warmth surrounding her, mostly from Laxus' arms around her and her face pressed against his chest, but there was also the blanket he had pulled over them. Everything smelled like her big brother, and the sense of security she felt helped to soothe her at least a little. "P-Promise?" she whispered, sniffling as her cries finally died down. She still felt like her heart was in pieces, and as though nothing could possibly make it better, but she didn't want to let go of how safe she felt.

Laxus smiled and squeezed Lucy lightly. "I promise." He held her for a few more minutes and then asked, "Lucy, why did you say that it hurt? What was hurting you?"

Lucy burrowed closer to Laxus and sniffled again. "My heart… All the guilt I feel for hurting everyone… for… For failing Freed… It just hit me and…" Her tears silently fell, and her voice cracked as she continued. "And now it just feels like it's broken… I don't think I can fix it…"

"Sure you can," Laxus said softly, brushing his fingers through her hair. "And everyone will be there for you to help you out, okay?"

Lucy shook her head and whispered, "I don't want to feel like this… It's too hard… I wish I couldn't feel anything… like before."

"Don't wish that, Lucy," Laxus answered back, his tone soft even though his heart ached.

"Why?" she asked softly, then sniffled. "At least I could  _do_  something when I couldn't feel anything…"

"What do you mean?"

Lucy sighed and said, "It's why I ran away from the table… I'm useless if I can't think about anything or do any research. There's nothing that I can do… It's like I'm giving up on him if I don't keep going…"

Laxus frowned at her admission. "Sis, that's not true at all. Taking a break to rest or take care of yourself doesn't mean you're giving up. You're human, just like the rest of us, and everyone has their limitations."

"But, what if… What if the time that I took to sleep or eat is the difference between whether or not we get to him in time?"

"In time for what? As far as we know, Freed's safe there," Laxus said softly. It was strange to him that he was finally seeing what Lucy had been thinking about—at least a portion of it—concerning Freed. He was starting to understand why she had been pushing herself so hard.

"They could be… they could…" Lucy whimpered and buried her face in his chest as her tears started flowing again. "Wh-What if they're t-torturing him again? Or… If they k-k-kill—"

"Lucy," Laxus said firmly, "Freed's not dead. You know he's not. I doubt they're going to torture him now that he's back. I mean, his dad went through all of that to get him to come home, he wouldn't lay a finger on him."

Lucy shook her head and looked up into Laxus' eyes. "He w-would… His dad used to b-beat them… All three boys and even his wife when they w-weren't behaving properly."

Laxus' eyes widened, and a low growl rumbled from his chest at the small piece of Freed's past he had learned. "Freed can take care of himself, Lucy. He's a Fairy Tail mage, a member of the guild's strongest team, and the smartest guy we know. Fairy Tail mages don't give up… You have to remember that."

Lucy shook her head and whispered, "I know that, but… I just w-wish he was here! Then I would know he was safe…"

Laxus sighed and pulled her closer, then said, "This is why I'd rather see you like this than empty like you were… You're talking to me about it instead of keeping it to yourself… At least now I know how I can help you…"

"How?" Lucy asked while she laid her head on Laxus' chest again, the single word making it seem as if she was a small child.

"The same way you helped me." Laxus lightly squeezed her again and kept running his fingers through her hair. "You said I make you feel safe," he whispered.  _All I have to do is follow my instincts. They won't steer me wrong when it comes to taking care of her. She needs me here._

"You do… Ever since I saved Freed that night, you've made me feel safe," Lucy replied. She paused for a moment and furrowed her brow, then said, "I… helped you?"

Laxus nodded before nuzzling her hair and squeezing her lightly. "You've been comforting me any time I get close," he whispered. "I didn't want to say anything about it, in case you didn't realize you were doing it. I didn't want you to stop…"

"I've noticed it from time to time," Lucy admitted. "I didn't understand why I was doing it when I couldn't feel empathy for you, or the actual desire to make you feel better, but I just accepted that it's something I didn't have an answer to."

"Bix thinks that the closer we get to finding Freed, the more you'll go back to normal," Laxus said softly. "That would explain why you wanted to hug me after we talked to Crux."

"But why did I have to get all of  _this_  back?" she asked sadly, though her voice was slowly becoming more monotone again.

"I don't know, little sis." Laxus paused and frowned when he sensed a change in her scent. Everything she had been feeling was slowly fading away, back into nothingness. "You okay?"

Lucy nodded and closed her eyes. "I'm tired, Laxus… Can I sleep here for now?" she whispered.

"Any time you want," he replied softly, placing a single kiss to her hair and nuzzling it again while he closed his eyes. He listened to Lucy's breathing even out almost immediately, and smiled when she snuggled closer to him. "Love ya, Lucy," he whispered.

* * *

Freed sighed as he was escorted to his father's study by the butler along with Christophe and Avery. He kept his gaze on the floor, not caring that each piece of furniture and art that he walked past was at least a century old.  _What does he want this time?_ , he thought as they took the last few steps to the study door.

"Your sons, sir," the butler said softly when he had been granted entrance, "Just as you requested."

"Send them in, Marcus," Mr. Justine answered while never taking his eyes from the contracts in front of him.

"He will see you now," Marcus said as he held the door open, silently closing it once all three young men were inside of the study.

Freed sat directly in front of his father, with Christophe to his right and Avery to his left. They waited in silence until their father explained what he wanted, and then made it clear that he expected them to speak.

Mr. Justine sat in utter silence for ten minutes before he smirked and pulled out a red pen. He circled three clauses on the copy of the contract he had been reading so that his lawyers could close the loopholes before they sent the official copies out to their business associates.  _Please, I wouldn't allow a single loophole to get past me,_  he thought smugly. He put down his pen and sat back in his chair, looking at each of his sons for a moment. Freed, the eldest and the one whom he'd had the highest hopes for, became his biggest disappointment—mainly because he had strayed so far. There was no way he would let anyone bearing the Justine name associate themselves with such disgusting filth and vagrancy as those that inhabit mage guilds. Christophe, the middle child and the one that Mr. Justine wished was the eldest. When Mr. Justine had discussed finding a way to return Freed with his sons, Christophe had been against it on principle; however, he also wanted Freed to return so that he wouldn't be forced to give up his apprenticeship in another company that was close to his father. Avery, the youngest and most coddled of his children. While Freed's dealings with magic were unsavory and disappointing, Avery had been a disappointment since birth. He'd grown up with no spine, no sense of masculine dominance that was necessary to survive in high society. The boy was a wimp and a pushover, and far too emotional.

Freed stared at the edge of the desk, letting the patterns of the wood grain change as his eyes shifted slightly. It was a game he and Lucy had played countless times, trying to see what their eyes would perceive as images because the human mind craved a sense of order. Wood grain, clouds, stars, they had done the same thing with anything they could find. Just the simple act of looking at the wood right then made Freed's heart ache with longing for the beautiful and brilliant blonde woman he'd fallen in love with. Usually, he was left on his own between meals, and he spent all of his time in the library where he knew no one would bother him. When it was explained to him that he couldn't stay holed up in his room sulking, because it made him look insane and his father wouldn't have that, Freed had chosen the library instead. Even as a child, he'd spent all of his spare time in there, so it wasn't much of a stretch to do it now that he was back.

"Freed, how are you adjusting to living a civilized life again?" Mr. Justine asked with a small smirk.

"My life was more civilized before, sir," Freed answered, his eyes never leaving the desk and the grains.  _A rabbit, the moon, a horse eating an elephant…_

"You must be joking," Avery chuckled. "Mages are disgusting. They don't know the first thing about being civilized."

Freed didn't say anything. Avery had spoken out of turn, and everyone knew it. Freed wouldn't make the same mistake as his brother.  _All I have to do is lie low, do what they ask, and I'll be left alone. Lucy will be safe as long as I'm here…_

Mr. Justine raised an eyebrow and glared at his youngest son, but chose to ignore the small outburst.  _Well, Avery at least learned that much…_  "What do you mean, 'more civilized'?" he asked.

"I mean exactly that, sir," Freed answered. "There was a lack of sterility in the atmosphere in which I lived. I was free to make my own choices, and was surrounded by individuals that put not only their faith in me, but they put their lives in my hands. It was civilized in the sense of a lack of secrecy and underhanded dealings between myself and my friends. Instead of living as if I had no emotions, because you view them as a weakness, I was able to embrace them fully. I found—"

"That's enough," Mr. Justine said firmly. "Mages are, as your brother said, disgusting. They are vile abominations that shouldn't be allowed to live in this world."

"Then I am also a vile abomination, sir," Freed said blankly. "I will always be a mage, regardless of your determination to change that."

"Preposterous," Mr. Justine said with a chuckle. "You're here, and not with your little mage friends. That is proof enough that you are not one of them. You're better than them. You're a Justine, and Justines—"

Freed removed his gloves and stood up, glaring at his father defiantly. He clenched his fists and then slowly lifted his left hand to show the vibrant, green Fairy Tail guild mark that still sat there proudly. "I have told you before, and I will tell you again until the day you die. I will  _always_  be a Fairy Tail mage." He dropped his hand, before he continued, his voice full of the emotion he had tried to mask. "You know  _nothing_  of the life I lived while I was away from this prison. Being a member of high society does  _not_  make us better than anyone else. We are all humans, and should treat each other as such. At least when I was still with my guild, I  _helped_ people. I have saved the lives of thousands over the years, by putting more than a pathetic reputation on the line. I would have sacrificed my own life so that others could continue living. What do you do while you sit behind your desk and smirk at insignificant loopholes in contracts? Do you help anyone aside from yourself and your business associates?"

Mr. Justine's eyes narrowed and he stood slowly to his full height, standing a full two hands-breadths taller than his wayward son. "You have no right to speak to me in such a manner, Freed," he said, his voice cold and calculating. "Now, sit down."

"No."

Christophe's eyes widened in shock. Freed had always been careful about how defiant he was of their father. He was smart, reserved, and usually willing to go along with their father's wishes for the sake of keeping the peace within the house. The only exceptions had been when he had stepped in for Avery during his beatings because he felt as though he needed to protect his youngest brother. Freed had even tried to intervene during Christophe's own beatings, and all it had accomplished was one more person being abused.  _Did he really just… He did… Freed told him 'no'!_

"What. Did. You. Say?" Mr. Justine whispered through gritted teeth.

"I said, 'No,'" Freed answered, his own glare rivalling that of Laxus himself. "You view yourself as someone who is above all others he encounters, and you could not be more wrong. I will speak to you in any way I wish, because  _you_  are not above m—"

Freed's rebellious words were cut off by a solid punch to his jaw from his father. Mr. Justine smirked and straightened himself before also adjusting his suit jacket. He took slow, deliberate steps around the desk until he was standing a foot away from his eldest son, whose head was turned away. "What was that, Freed?" he asked.

Freed slowly turned back to his father, the darkness inside of him pushing against his iron will to break free and rid the world of the horrendous man in front of him. "I will speak to you in any way I wish," Freed repeated. "You are not above me, and you never will b—"

Another solid hit to his son's face. Mr. Justine lifted one eyebrow slightly when the harder hit only turned Freed's head again instead of knocking him to the ground. "Why don't you fight back, Freed? You're a mage, surely you can do  _something_  to stop me."

Freed smirked, licking the blood from his lip while he turned back to his father again. "There are a great number of things I could do to stop you, father. However, I will not use my magic against someone who can't properly defend thems—"

Another series of hits to his face and torso landed, but Freed didn't move an inch.

"Father, stop!" Christophe said quickly, standing to his feet. "He's done—"

"Christophe," Freed said quietly, shaking his head slowly.  _Don't get yourself in trouble over me… I can take care of myself._  Freed started talking again, to his father this time, and his words were only halted by a hit to the face or stomach. "It is not the… Fairy Tail way… to injure someone using your magic… when they have none to… counter it. It doesn't matter… how many times you beat me… I will never let them down." Freed sighed and side-stepped a kick that was meant to knock him to the ground, grabbing his father's foot and upending him right there. He looked down at his father with disdain and shook his head. "I've told you before, and I'll say it again. I will stay, but my presence here is not for any of your benefit. I am here, what more do you want?"

"You should be thankful, Freed," Mr. Justine said as he stood up and brushed himself off. "This is your fate, you must accept it and stop this sulking. It's pathetic."

"There is a great difference between what I feel and sulking, sir," Freed answered with rage in his eyes. "I am not thankful that I was born into this life, nor am I thankful to have endured what I have at your hand this past year. You forced me to return, and I am here because of the leverage you hold over me. Nothing more."

Mr. Justine smirked as Freed turned to walk away, seeming as though he hadn't take a single hit. "Exactly, Freed," he said slowly, "You'll stay to keep her safe. You had better learn your place, otherwise I'll make an example out of her. She'll have more than a scar when I'm through with her."

Freed paused for only a moment, bristling with unbridled rage at the threat that hung in the air. "You're right. She's the only reason I'm still here… There won't be any reason for any harm to befall her. I won't leave…" he said as he walked out of the study towards the library.  _I'd do anything to see her again,_ he thought sadly,  _but being away from her is the only way to know she's protected. I'm so sorry, Lucy…_

Mr. Justine walked back around his desk and sat down, pulling another contract towards him and reading it while his two youngest sons waited for him to say something. "You may go. This is a lesson, boys. You should always know your opponent's weakness, and exploit it to gain the upper hand."

Avery and Christophe nodded as they rose and silently left the study. Avery smirked and turned to his older brother, then said, "Well, that was interesting."

Christophe nodded, but his mind was elsewhere.  _What did he mean 'keep her safe'? Who is Freed protecting?_

* * *

When the group of mages was almost to the guild, Bickslow looked over at the two Dragon Slayers and said, "So, what are you gonna tell everyone when we get there?"

Wendy shrugged, then looked at Gajeel.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "What do you want us to tell them? I'd rather not say a damn thing, but I know they'll ask Squirt unless she hides at my table."

Bickslow chuckled before his slightly raised spirits instantly dwindled. "Well, they know Lucy hurt him. And it won't hurt to tell them that she was using Freed's magic on the guy."

Wendy nodded, frowning again while she mulled over what had happened. "I don't think they need to know why she did it. That's between her and Gray. Well, they all know that he got too close to her, so I guess that's okay to talk about…"

Gajeel nodded in agreement. "Isn't she writing a letter to Master?"

"Yeah," Bickslow said, "We'll just keep it basic until tomorrow. Master can answer the questions from everyone after he reads it."

"Well, we're definitely  _not_  talking about what happened with Sparky…" Gajeel said after a few silent minutes. "No one needs to know about that shit. Bunny Girl's his kin, so it makes sense that he would react the way he did, but…"

Wendy smiled and wrapped her arm around the pierced arm next to her while looking at Bickslow. "But, they don't need to know that." She blushed slightly when Gajeel's arm pulled away from her grasp only to drape heavily over her shoulders. When she looked up at the older Slayer, she saw a proud smirk on his face while his ruby eyes kept looking at the road ahead of them.

Bickslow smirked at the two before they walked up to the doors of the guild. "Man, this is gonna suck so fucking hard…"

Wendy reached over to pat Bickslow's arm lightly, and when he looked at her she gave him an encouraging smile. "I'm sure Evergreen has called Master by now. Just go right to him, and then you and Levy can get the books you need for Lucy."

Bickslow gave the young Slayer a soft smile and nodded. He opened the doors just after Gajeel pulled his arm away from Wendy, and threw his indifferent mask back into place while they walked through the guildhall.

"OH MY MAVIS!" Juvia screeched. "Gray! What did she do to him?!" She quickly rushed over to the trio entering the guild, her screams having caused everyone to go completely silent while they watched.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and said, "He'll be fine. Chill the fuck out."

"Why did she do it?" Juvia asked softly, her fear over Gray's safety soothed by her old friend's words—they were crass and vulgar, but she was used to it from him. "What kind of sick, twisted monster would—"

The Water mage's words were cut off by two very intense growls: one was low, and it rattled through her bones while it reverberated around her, while the other was decidedly higher, but no less menacing—and both were filled with promises of endless hours of pain. Wendy snarled at Juvia and shook her head before stalking off into the guild towards the infirmary, while Gajeel glared at her. "You don't know what fucking happened, Juvia," Gajeel seethed, letting out another growl. "He fucking deserved everything she did to him."

"How can you say that?!" Juvia asked with wide, unbelieving eyes.

Gajeel just shook his head and said, "Stripper needs to go to the infirmary. If you wanna talk to him, Wendy's gonna wake him up soon."

"Answer me!" Juvia shouted as Gajeel started to walk away. She roughly grabbed his arm, and took a small step back when he turned to growl at her again. He looked the same way he had when he was in Phantom Lord. "Answer me, Gajeel," she pleaded with tears in her eyes.

"No. None of your goddamn business." He looked around the guild to see everyone watching them, then sighed and continued walking towards the infirmary. "Bunny Girl's writing Master a letter about what happened. He'll get it tomorrow, and then he can answer all of your nosy little fucking questions if he thinks it's alright. Me, Wendy, Bickslow, and Evergreen aren't saying a fucking thing." He turned to look back at Juvia and said gruffly, "You fucking coming or what?"

Juvia jumped and nodded before rushing after Gajeel, leaving Bickslow alone at the entrance. Bickslow sighed and walked over to Makarov who was sitting on the bar. "Master," he said softly while he sat down on a stool, "Did Ever call you yet?"

Makarov shook his head. "How is everything, Bickslow?" he asked softly as the guild went back to normal.

"Better," Bickslow whispered, motioning to Mira for a beer and nodding his thanks when she instantly handed him one. He took a swig then said, "She's a little better now. Don't know what made it happen, but it's something…"

Makarov nodded then asked, "And Laxus?"

Bickslow sighed and said, "He'll be alright." Bickslow knew that Makarov worried constantly about his grandson, and he'd taken it upon himself to talk with the guildmaster about what was happening at the house so he was kept in the loop. Bickslow told Makarov the day after they had found Lucy and Laxus sleeping the office what had happened, and how much better it made things for a little while.  _Pretty sure the only reason he's so accepting of this shit is because I'm telling him what's going on…_  Bickslow hated keeping something like that—his honesty with Makarov—from Evergreen and Laxus, but the old man deserved to know how they were doing. "I need Levy's help. Got a lead from one of Lucy's spirits, and she needs more books."

Makarov brightened and grinned. "Jet," he said softly as the Speed mage came to the counter to pick up his food, "Please have Levy come see me right away. I have something important to discuss with her."

"Of course, Master!" Jet said with a smile. He turned and used his magic for a small boost in his already fast speed, and relayed Makarov's message.

"Yes, Master?" Levy said softly as she stepped up to the bar.

"It seems Lucy needs your assistance," Makarov said gently, then motioned to Bickslow who had just finished his drink.

Levy turned and looked expectantly at the Seith mage. Bickslow pulled the list out of his pocket and handed it to her, saying, "She got a lead. Apparently what she was reading before was a dead end, but her spirit gave her this. Can you help me find these in the guild library so I can take them back to the house?"

Levy grinned and read the list, then frowned and cocked her head to the side. "She was reading law books before. Why would she start reading literature?"

Bickslow shrugged. "I have no clue. Her spirit said it could help…"

Levy nodded, then smiled when she re-read the titles. "Well, it's a good thing you asked for my help. These aren't in the guild library at all." She giggled when Bickslow's head shot up to look at her through his visor. "I have all of them at my place. I can bring them by if—"

"No," Bickslow said firmly, "No one's coming by the house again. Not after what happened today."

"I won't make the same mistake as Gray," Levy said testily. "I know her very well, Bickslow."

Bickslow scoffed and shook his head before he snatched the list from the short blunette. "Everyone here knows her, Levy. That's not the point. Point is, she—"

"Shrimp," Gajeel interjected, crossing his arms over his chest and standing a few feet behind the Script mage. When she turned to look up at him, Gajeel shook his head. "Bunny Girl can't see anyone right now. Especially after what happened. It's not safe for anyone but her team to be in that house."

"You and Wendy were there for hours," Levy reasoned. "You guys are just fine."

"That's because Squirt was dealing with the idiotic Stripper."

"And what were you doing?" Levy asked, raising her eyebrow while she challenged the intimidating Slayer.

"What any partner does. I had her back in case she needed me," Gajeel answered simply. "Just help him get the books."

"Evergreen and I can take them to the house tomorrow," Bickslow said while he started drinking another beer. "We'll take good care of them."

Levy sighed, then looked hopefully at Makarov. "Master?" she asked softly.

Makarov shook his head and said, "I must agree with them, Levy. Bickslow and Evergreen took Gray to the house so someone could see what was happening with Lucy. Based on him now being in the infirmary, I cannot allow any of you to go anywhere near her."

"He just got too close to her," Levy pleaded. "She's my best friend! I won't make the same mistake!"

"Tch, Shrimp you hug her every time you see her," Gajeel snorted. "You gonna tell me that you won't be tempted to keep with your normal routine?"

"I know how to control myself," Levy snapped.

"Levy," Bickslow whispered, "Tell me something…" He paused and looked at the angry woman, then said, "When you think about what happened with Freed, and how Lucy reacted to it, what do you feel?"

"Sad," Levy said instantly.

"Why?"

"Because he was taken away. And she's hurting because of it. Lucy's my friend, I care about her," Levy answered while looking at Bickslow like he'd lost his mind.

"Do you feel bad for her?" Bickslow asked.

"Of course I do! No one should have to go through something like that!" Levy shouted.

"If you were talking to her right now, would you want to try and make her happy?"

"I don't know how I'd do it, but I would try—"

Bickslow sighed and nodded, looking back down at the bar. "That's why you can't see her…"

"What's  _that_  supposed to mean?!" Levy seethed.

"Here's a question…" Bickslow whispered, keeping his gaze focused on the bar top, "Would you try to make her happy for  _her_  sake? Or would you be doing it so you didn't feel guilty for not doing anything?"

"I…" Levy frowned and cocked her head to the side. "What are you talking about?" She understood the question he had asked her: whether her willingness to help Lucy was based on what was best for her friend, or if it was selfishness on her own part so she wouldn't feel like a failure. She had wanted to say it was for Lucy, and it always would be, but there was a surprisingly large part of her that wanted to feel better about everything that was happening. That part wanted to make Lucy happy again only so Levy herself wouldn't feel like a failure as a friend.

"Everyone just wants her to be happy," Bickslow said with a sneer. He chuckled darkly before looking at Levy who had taken a step back. "They pity her. They just want her to be normal. You all would do anything in your power to see her smile again, but it's not that simple. She knows you care about her, and some part of her cares about you guys too… But Lucy doesn't need someone  _else_  coming into the house trying to push their shit on her. Didn't work when Gray tried, and it won't work if you do it either."

"But—"

"Shrimp," Gajeel said sternly, "He's right. She doesn't need to see someone that's gonna make her feel guilty for not being the way you want her to be."

"She can't feel anything though... That's the probl—"

"It's not a fucking problem, Levy!" Bickslow shouted.  _How many times do I have to deal with this shit?!_  "Yeah, it sucks that she's not better. It sucks that Lucy's not her usual happy-go-lucky self. But it's not a  _problem_  that she's like this. What happened was the only way she could cope with him getting taken. If she was crying her eyes out, you'd be there to help her with whatever she needed. After a couple of weeks, you'd get tired of it and say she needed to move on."

"I wouldn't say tha—"

"If Lucy's gonna get better, it'll be on her own fucking terms—just like  _everything_ else she does. It's not gonna be from people like you and Gray trying to get her to see what's wrong with her so she can fix it just so that  _you_ can feel better about it. What Lucy needs is support for what she's going through, not people telling her everything is okay, and how she should go about getting better. It seems like everyone in this guild is so over-confident in their abilities that you guys think she'll miraculously be okay when she sees you! She needs our help in finding answers to  _bringing him home_ , not to making her the way  _you_  want her to be!" Bickslow paused and took a deep breath, then looked over at Makarov. "Master, she knew that you put his sword up there. We didn't tell her, but I guess she overheard us talking about it at some point… She said she would have felt betrayed by it, just like the rest of the team did."

Makarov's eyes widened, then he glanced guiltily up to the empty plaque before looking back at Bickslow. "Betrayed?"

Bickslow groaned and stood to his feet, ready to leave any moment. "Because you all acted like he's dead! You guys can talk all you want about wanting to help her, but when it came down to it, you treated the only thing that was left of Freed as something to remember him by. You acted like he wasn't ever coming back. Laxus, Ever, and I disagreed with your decision to do it—not that you even had the fucking courtesy to ask how we felt about it—but we kept it to ourselves because we thought maybe it would give everyone the motivation to help her get him. All it did was make everyone fucking complacent, as if that's just how it was supposed to be. 'Freed's gone, we should remember him.'" Bickslow knew he was shouting, but he couldn't find it in him to care any longer. Twice in one day, he had lost his temper with his own guild mates, and now he was yelling at the guildmaster. He grimaced down at the list in his hand, then looked back at Makarov. "When Ever calls, let her know I already relayed the message. Lucy's writing you a letter about what happened, you'll get it tomorrow when Ever and I come by. If you have questions, call Laxus and he'll answer them.  _No one_  is seeing her until  _she_  decides they can. She almost killed Gray, and we refuse to let someone else in the house just for a repeat of today. If Laxus hadn't stopped her, we would have lost her for good… If the guild has questions, they can ask you tomorrow. I'm tired of getting shit from everyone about what's going on, so," he paused and turned to face his guild mates, "From here on out, if you wanna know what's happening… Ask Master."

Everyone watched in utter shock as Bickslow stormed out of the guild, shaking his head and muttering about everyone being an asshole. Gajeel turned back and glared at Levy. "Happy, Shrimp?"

"Why would I be happy, Gajeel?" Levy asked softly, staring at the closing doors with guilt written across her face.  _Lucy almost killed Gray?_

Gajeel rolled his eyes and walked back up the stairs to the infirmary, then bumped into Wendy as she opened the door to leave. He looked down at her for a second then sighed and ran a hand over his face.

"I heard," Wendy whispered. She closed the minimal distance between them and wrapped her arms around Gajeel's waist. "Wanna go get some ice cream?" she asked with a small smile.

Gajeel rolled his eyes and snorted while he wrapped an arm around her tiny shoulders. "Why would I wanna get ice cream, Squirt? You know I don't eat it."

Wendy looked up at her partner and grinned. "Because it's Wednesday! The ice cream shop by your house got a special order in this morning!"

"What are you talking about?"

Wendy giggled and pulled back, beaming. "I told the owner a few weeks ago about you not liking ice cream because it was too sweet. He said there was a specialty shop that could make any flavor you wanted, so I had him order some for you! He didn't know what I meant, and he thought I was crazy when I placed the order… But, I got you steel, iron, copper, and lead ice cream, and little metal shavings in each flavor for sprinkles! He told me that everything would be in today!"

Gajeel raised an eyebrow and stared at the young Slayer. "You ordered specialty ice cream… that's metal flavored… for  _me_?" he asked incredulously.

"Yeah," Wendy said happily, "That way you can try different ones and find out which is your favorite! Pantherlily always get kiwi sherbet, Carla gets vanilla, and I get chocolate… You just sit there and scowl at people!"

When Gajeel heard Wendy's reasoning, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Gihi, looks like we're getting some ice cream then, Squirt." He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and smirked while he led her out of the guild, not caring what anyone else saw. It wasn't often—if ever—that someone did something nice for him just because they could. Wendy had decided that she didn't want him to miss out on something she enjoyed, and took it upon herself to include him in it the only way she knew how. Gajeel unconsciously pulled her a little closer while they walked in a comfortable silence to the ice cream shop, and smirked when she nuzzled his side for a moment.  _She's the one that always drags me along to get ice cream… Guess it can't hurt to try it out…_

* * *

After finally separating from Avery, Christophe walked through the halls of his father's estate in deep thought. Freed had been gone for eleven years, leaving just before he had turned seventeen to join a mage's guild, and now he hardly looked a day over twenty-one. It was odd to see the eldest of the three looking as though he was now several years younger than Avery, but Christophe couldn't find it in himself to care. His older brother was back, which meant that Christophe wouldn't have to sacrifice the apprenticeship he had worked so hard to achieve just to run his father's company. A pang of guilt struck him as he realized just how much Freed must have sacrificed in returning.

Mr. Justine had called both Christophe and Avery into his study a little under a year ago to discuss his wish to return Freed to the estate to take his rightful place. They had all seem a glimpse of him in the crowd during the Grand Magic Games, and that was when they realized that he hadn't died as they thought. With renewed determination, Mr. Justine was set on bringing Freed back, and was willing to rely on his sons to get the job done. Christophe hated the idea of forcing Freed to come back, because his older brother had left for a good reason: their father never liked magic, and Freed was a mage. Even though he was perfect for the role of taking over his father's company, everyone could see that it wasn't what he really wanted. The day Freed left, Christophe had watched from the sidelines while his mother and Avery cried, but he never let anyone know just how proud he was of his big brother for finally taking his life into his own hands.  _I yelled at him that day… He wasn't being selfish… I was…_

Christophe sighed and looked at the doors he was standing in front of. The library. He chuckled drily as he realized he had unconsciously come to the one place he knew Freed would be. Slowly, he opened the door and walked in, closing it silently behind him. He didn't have to look far to find the Rune mage. Freed's jacket was draped over the back of an armchair, and the green-haired man was sitting in another with his back to the door. Christophe could tell that Freed was reading, and silently laughed when he saw at least three distinct piles of books on the floor around the chair.  _He always did that,_  he thought as he quietly walked over,  _Grabbing all of the books he wanted to read and piling them up near him; all so that he didn't have to get up to get another book._  Christophe paused and furrowed his brow when he heard Freed take a shuddering breath. What happened next had Christophe completely at a loss for words.

 _I can't do this,_  Freed thought while he stared at the pages in front of him.  _I miss her so much._  He felt hot tears making a searing path down his cheeks, but he didn't care. No one ever came into the library aside from him. The servants knew he was here, so they would just open the door when it was time for a meal and let him know how much time he had, then they would wait outside for him. Freed grimaced at the thought of spending the rest of his life away from Lucy, confined to this library because he couldn't bear to be anywhere else. He loved books, loved knowledge, but even the thought of reading something reminded him of her. Lucy wanted to become an author, and the few snippets of her novel that she'd allowed him to read had shown Freed that she was beyond talented when it came to it. Focusing on the page in front of him, Freed's sorrow overwhelmed him, and he slammed the book closed before throwing it across the spacious room where it loudly thudded against one of the bookshelves. He dropped his head to his hands, roughly digging his fingers into his hair, and curled in on himself while he openly sobbed.

Christophe's eyes widened in utter shock at Freed's actions. He never would have imagined that his brother was capable of anything remotely close to what he had seen. Freed cherished books as if they were living things, and he had just thrown one across the room. Christophe hadn't seen his brother cry often, but when it did happen Freed was always silent as his tears fell—still holding the mask that they all had to wear in place no matter how upset he was. Freed was strong, probably the strongest and most resilient man Christophe knew, and seeing him so broken tore into Christophe's heart in a way he had never thought imaginable. He took long strides over to the armchair and knelt in front of his brother, placing a hand gently on his shoulder and dropping his own indifferent mask to let him see how devastated he was.

Freed flinched when he felt a large hand on him, but he couldn't stop the tears or heartrending sobs that left him. "D-Don't… Don't t-touch me…" he cried, finally willing himself to pull away.

"Freed," Christophe whispered sadly, leaning forward to try and comfort his brother. He stopped when he saw that Freed's sleeves were rolled up.  _What… happened to him?_  Christophe's worry over what had upset his brother was intensified as he looked at the scars that littered Freed's forearms and wrists. They crossed over one another again and again, but they didn't travel past his wrists.  _Those look like—_ Christophe's eyes widened when he saw the distinct markings on Freed's wrists that could only have come from one thing: shackles. "Freed, please talk to me," Christophe pleaded, finally breaking from his shocked stupor and leaning forward again to place both hands on Freed's shoulders.

Freed grimaced and shook his head. The last person he expected to understand what he was going through was Christophe. He was just like their father, and Freed knew that he always would be. "N-No…" he whispered angrily, "J-Just… leave m-me alone…" He tried to pull away from Christophe's grip, but was stopped when it tightened.

Christophe sighed and slid his hands down Freed's slender arms, noticing how Freed tensed when his fingers brushed over the exposed scars. "What happened, Freed?"

Freed dropped his hands from his head, keeping his face hidden from his brother. "He… He wanted m-me to come b-back," he whispered.

"That can't be right," Christophe said incredulously. "He's a lot of things, but  _this_?!" he nearly shouted, motioning to Freed's scars.

Freed nodded. "Sh-She… saved me. And now I'll n-never… I'll n-never see her again!" he cried and lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother. Before Freed could worry that he had overstepped any boundaries, Christophe roughly pulled Freed down onto the floor with him and wrapped his arms around his shoulders while he cried. "I l-love her, Christophe…" he sobbed, "I'm m-miserable without her…"

Christophe held his brother, giving him all of the comfort he needed in that moment. "I'm sorry, Freed," he whispered while rubbing what he hoped were soothing circles on Freed's back.  _I never knew… I'm so sorry I helped him take you away…_

* * *

Evergreen sighed when she put down the lacrima. She had just called Makarov, and he quickly informed her, rather guiltily, that Bickslow had already relayed her message. Then he had apologized for what had happened recently with the guild, and for displaying Freed's sword the way they had without at least consulting his team. When Evergreen looked at the time, she realized she still had an hour before she needed to start cooking dinner. With a small smile, she looked back at the lacrima and watched it light up as she called the one person that could make her smile. Once the handsome face appeared on the orb, her smile widened. "Hey, sweetheart," she whispered.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Elfman asked, his deep and masculine voice oddly soft and tender while he spoke.

"Better than before… Sort of…" Evergreen's smile became unsure and then she sighed and shook her head.

"Wanna tell me about it?"

Evergreen nodded, and once she saw the blue background and posters on the walls—and realized he was sitting in his bedroom—she started telling him everything that had happened since she had left the guild with Gray and Bickslow.

"That's not manly at all," Elfman muttered with a frown. "Why would Gray say that to her?"

Evergreen sighed and shrugged. "Because he's an asshole… Regardless, apparently she's getting better… She started crying and actually feeling remorseful while we were at the table—"

"No way!" Elfman nearly shouted, his eyes wide and a small smile on his face. Sure, it was weird to feel happy that Lucy was crying and guilty, but any emotion was better than none at all.

Evergreen smiled sadly and nodded. "She randomly got up and ran out of the room, and Laxus went after her. She was crying  _really_  hard up there… I could hear it through the ceiling… Then she came running down the stairs and rushed outside…"

"What the hell?"

"Exactly. She fell down in the yard and started screaming about how she was sorry… Laxus brought her back in and took her upstairs. They've been quiet for a while now," she mused, then giggled. "They probably fell asleep again."

"Heh, Mira still thinks it's weird," Elfman chuckled. "She's not jealous, but she says siblings don't cuddle up next to each other and sleep."

Evergreen rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, please! You told me that she and Lisanna both sneak into your room during thunderstorms! You guys do the same thing!"

Elfman let out a bellowing laugh and nodded. "That's what I told her! She just shook her head and said that she only comes in because she wants to check on us…" When Evergreen rolled her eyes again, he whispered, "She's the one that's afraid of the storms. Lisanna only started doing it because she thought that's what she was supposed to do. Now she does it because it's just our thing."

Evergreen nodded and giggled again. "This is the most I've laughed in a long time…" she said wistfully.

Elfman smile softly at her and said, "I've missed your laugh. And the way your roll your eyes at me…" He chuckled when Evergreen rolled her eyes dramatically and giggled. "Even how you smack me with that damn fan of yours!"

Evergreen's heart melted, and she set the lacrima on the table before she propped her elbows on her knees and set her chin in her hands. "I love you, Elfman," she whispered dreamily.

"Love you too, Ever," Elfman replied with a wink.

Before Evergreen could say anything else, there was a sharp knock at the door. Her eyebrows furrowed and she turned back to the lacrima. "Hey, there's someone… at the door," she said uncertainly. She picked up the lacrima and carried it with her while she walked down the hallway.

"I thought you said only Fairy Tail members could get through the runes around the perimeter," Elfman said softly.

Evergreen nodded absently, then put a finger to her mouth so Elfman would stay silent. Just in case it was a trick of some sort, she wanted to try and let Elfman see what was happening. "Who is it?" she called out.

"It's me, Ever!" Bickslow yelled. "Open the damn door, these things are heavy as fuck!"

Evergreen rolled her eyes and swung the door open. "Since when do you not use your totems to help you carry your books?!" she nearly shouted as the Seith mage came into view.

"Since my babies have been given a  _special delivery_  for Lucy," Bickslow muttered while he carried everything inside.

"Spec—" Evergreen paused and looked down at the lacrima, then smiled at Elfman. "Hey, I've gotta let you go for now. I'll call you before bed, okay?"

Elfman smiled and nodded. "Sure. Go teach Bickslow how a real man carries books," he said with a grin. They said quick i-love-you's, and the screen went black.

Evergreen pulled half of the stack of books from Bickslow and huffed as they walked into the office. "So, special delivery?" she asked once the books were sitting on the now empty desk.

"Yeah. Some messenger was standing at the edge of the runes when I walked up," Bickslow said while he stretched his arms. "Said he had an important letter for Lucy, but couldn't get past the runes to deliver it. I had my babies carry it just in case it was a trick—like some crazy explosive envelope shit or something—since I can just transfer their souls to something else if I need to."

Evergreen nodded, then looked at the envelope sitting pressed between the totems. "Well, let's go take it upstairs in a little bit. They're still up there, so they probably fell asleep again."

Bickslow nodded and listened to Evergreen recount what had happened while he was away. He frowned when she told him what had happened with Lucy, and his frown didn't leave as he told her what had happened at the guild. Finally, he sighed and took off his helmet to run a hand through his hair. "I'm gonna have to tell Laxus about what happened… I kinda feel like shit for snapping at everyone  _again_ , but…"

Evergreen walked over and patted her friend on the back consolingly. "It needed to be done, Bix. It might be nice to go to the guild and not have everyone breathing down our necks about what's happening."

Bickslow nodded, then said, "Maybe. Let's get up there. You've gotta make dinner soon…"

As they made their way up the stairs, Evergreen smirked and said, "Wanna help? Might do you some good to learn how to cook."

Bickslow chuckled. "Sure." The pair paused when they saw that Laxus' bedroom door was open, looking at each other in confusion before shrugging and walking to Freed and Lucy's room.

"Where—" Evergreen started to ask when she saw that the room was empty. She slowly turned and raised an eyebrow when she looked at the open door down the hall. She slowly walked over to Laxus' room with Bickslow just behind her, and her eyes widened in shock when she saw the two blondes sleeping in Laxus' bed. Usually, Lucy would sleep under the blanket while Laxus laid on top of it next to her; this time, they were both under the blanket and Laxus was lying on his back with Lucy's head on his chest, and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders. "Laxus?" Evergreen whispered, just loud enough for him to hear her if he was awake.

Laxus' eyes slowly opened and he saw Evergreen and Bickslow standing in the doorway to his room. "What's up?" he whispered, motioning for them to come in.

Evergreen sat at the foot of the bed while Bickslow leaned against the dresser. "Lucy got a letter," Evergreen whispered. "There was a messenger by the runes when Bix came back, so he brought it inside."

Laxus nodded, then looked down at Lucy and smiled. She'd gone to sleep on her own because she felt tired. He didn't blame her one bit for feeling that way, since she hadn't been sleeping well and she'd thoroughly exhausted herself with everything else that day. "Sis," he whispered, pulling his hand out from under his head to push her bangs away from her face. "Time to wake up."

"Mm-mm…" Lucy mumbled, nuzzling the warm chest she was laying on and wrapping her arm around Laxus' waist more tightly. "Comfy…"

Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow chuckled softly before Laxus nudged Lucy a little bit. "You got a letter while we were sleeping," he whispered. "Could be important."

Lucy nodded, then lifted only her arm from Laxus' waist and held her hand out behind her while she kept her eyes closed. Once the envelope was in her hand, Lucy curled her arm back around Laxus' waist and cuddled closer to him. "All done," she whispered groggily.

Laxus rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on, open it up and read it."

"You can go back to sleep afterwards, Lucy," Evergreen said with a soft smile. "I still haven't made dinner, so you've got some more time."

Lucy sighed and nodded before her eyes creaked open. She slowly rolled onto her back and blinked repeatedly until the sleep left her eyes. Her fingers lightly trailed over the wax seal on the envelope, and when she recognized what it was, she shot up to a sitting position and tore the envelope open. The words were blurry, so she blinked again and again to try and get them to clear up.

"Sis, I took off your eye patch when you fell asleep," Laxus said while he sat up. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the small piece of black fabric, then handed it to Lucy.

Lucy quickly put the eye patch back on, running her finger lightly around the edge of it to activate the runes that held it in place, and read through the letter once. Twice. She put the letter down and her mind instantly started racing while she stared at the bedspread. After a minute, she felt Laxus' hand touch her arm and Lucy quickly shook her thoughts away. She folded the letter back up and put it on the bed before turning to wrap her arms around Laxus' waist.

 _She's hugging him?!_ , Bickslow thought happily. It had to be a good sign that Lucy was initiating some form of comfort from Laxus. She usually just stood still while Laxus hugged her, but now? Lucy had gone out of her way to hug him.

"Everything okay?" Laxus asked softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her closer while he rubbed his eyes.

Lucy shook her head and closed her eyes. "Can't think…" she whispered. "Not right now…" When she felt Laxus lightly squeeze her while he sighed, she added, "Can I go back to sleep now?"

Laxus' brow furrowed as he looked down at Lucy. "Why can't you think right now, sis?" he asked, looking from Lucy to the shocked mages that were staring at her.  _Lucy's voice was going back before she fell asleep,_  he thought,  _It didn't stay that way…_  Laxus couldn't understand it, but it seemed as though she was fluctuating between no emotions at all and a small amount. He didn't want to bring it up to her, just in case it might cause her to lean more towards the emotionless side again.

"Too much to think about," she whispered. "I don't want to start bleeding again…"

"Lucy, talking about it might help," Evergreen said softly. "You can tell us what you're thinking about…"

"Yeah, and then you can just focus on what you're telling us instead of everything else," Bickslow finished with a nod.

Lucy looked up at Laxus, silently asking what he thought, and he smiled down at her and nodded. "Let's give it a shot," he said. "If you start getting distracted, or if it doesn't seem to help out, then you can stop."

"And we can go and get some tissues just in case you  _do_  start bleeding," Evergreen encouraged with a soft smile.

Lucy looked over at Evergreen, then to Bickslow, then to the letter. "You… You want to help…" she whispered.

"Of course we do," Bickslow said. "All you have to do is tell us what can help, and we'll do it. Oh, I got your books by the way. I had to buy them, but I guess it just means you guys can add them to the library."

Lucy looked up at Bickslow, staring right into his eyes. Her brow furrowed as she felt the guilt that was still sitting deep inside of her turn into something else. She kept staring, noticing how silent the room had become, but she was waiting to see what emotion would come. If she had to gauge how much she had in the way of emotions, it would probably be a little less than a quarter of what she was capable of. A sense of warmth pushed away the guilt until it was almost completely gone, and Lucy's eyes widened when she realized what it was.

"Everything okay?" Laxus asked.

Lucy nodded, and pulled herself away from Laxus' embrace. She pushed the blanket off of her legs and slowly stood up, never taking her eyes away from Bickslow's.

 _What is she doing?,_  Bickslow thought as he watched Lucy walking towards him. He could see something in her eyes, but he had no idea what it was. She had looked surprised for a moment, then it was as if she was content with something.

Lucy walked right up to Bickslow, and when she was right in front of him she carefully pulled his arms away from his body where they were crossed over his chest. When she let his wrists go, they fell limply to his sides. "You bought them for us?" she asked softly.

Bickslow nodded, completely unsure of what to do with Lucy so close to him. He and Evergreen hadn't been nearly this close to her physically since Christmas Eve, and she had even touched his hands. "Yeah," he whispered, "I would have borrowed them from Levy, since they're not at the guild, but she wanted to bring them by herself…" He paused when he heard Laxus sigh, then added, "No one's gonna come by to bother you, though. I made sure of it…"

Lucy tilted her head to the other side, then said, "I want to try something. Will you help me with it?"

Laxus' eyes widened when he heard her.  _That's what she said to me before she—_

Bickslow nodded eagerly and said, "Sure, what do you need?"

Lucy replayed what happened with Laxus in her head, and wondered what would happen this time. "Just… Stay still." She took another step forward and placed her hands on Bickslow's stomach. She saw Bickslow's eyes widen further in shock and slid her hands around him, recreating the exact same scenario that she had done with Laxus. Her head was turned to the side and lying gently on his chest, her arms were around his waist, and she was pressed lightly to him with her eyes closed while she took deep breaths.

Bickslow looked up at Laxus and Evergreen with his jaw hanging open. Laxus' expression mirrored his own, and Evergreen had started silently crying with a smile on her face.  _"What do I do?"_  he mouthed to Laxus.

Laxus pantomimed wrapping his arms around Lucy, and nodded in encouragement when Bickslow slowly lifted his arms and slid them around Lucy's shoulders. After a moment, his head lowered to lay his cheek on top of her head.

They stood in complete silence for a solid minute before Lucy squeezed Bickslow lightly and whispered, "Happy…"

"Huh?" Bickslow asked.

Laxus grinned and said, "She wanted to see if she could feel anything by hugging you…" When Bickslow's head shot up to look at him incredulously, Laxus nodded. "She did the same thing with me earlier. It's why her eyes are closed: she's focusing on how she feels. You make her happy."

"I… I do?" Bickslow whispered, looking back down at Lucy with a smile on his face.

Lucy nodded and pulled her head away, and felt a very dulled sense of happiness replacing her guilt, just like hugging Laxus had replaced it with safety. "You make me feel happy, Bickslow," she whispered and realized that the corners of her mouth had turned up into a small smile.

"Holy shit," Bickslow whispered, feeling tears of joy welling in his eyes as his smile turned into a wide grin. He saw that smile from her, and it was like his whole world stopped as he realized he was the reason for it.  _She's happy. Her smile's come back. We're helping her…_  "That's fucking awesome."

Lucy giggled—the sound only a ghost of what her usual laughter was—and nodded again before laying her head against Bickslow's chest. "I'm happy that you bought those books for us," she whispered. "Freed is going to love them."

Bickslow chuckled and nodded. "No problem, Lucy."

Evergreen couldn't have been happier in that moment. Lucy was feeling happy, and hugging Bickslow. It was the first physical contact she had allowed with anyone aside from Laxus, and there was no way for the Fairy mage to hold back her tears of joy. A small part wished that she had been the one that Lucy had decided to hug, the one that made her happy, but it was drowned out by the knowledge that Lucy was getting better. They were doing something right when it came to helping her, and the sight of Lucy and Bickslow only firmed Evergreen's resolve to keep helping Lucy in any way she needed.

After a few minutes, Lucy pulled away and sighed. She looked up to see tears pouring down Bickslow's face and shook her head. Her hands slowly raised and she wiped away his tears before saying, "Don't cry, Bix… Be happy…"

Bickslow chuckled and said, "I  _am_  happy, Lucy."

Lucy nodded and smiled again, then turned and walked back to the bed and sat down. She tucked her legs back under the blanket and laid her head on Laxus' shoulder while he wrapped an arm around her, then picked up the letter she'd received.

"What does it say?" Evergreen asked softly.  _It'll happen one day,_  she reminded herself,  _Whenever Lucy decides she wants to hug me, I'll be more than happy to help._

Lucy looked from the letter to everyone else. "We need tissues and a pen… and a stack of paper."

"Why the writing stuff?" Laxus asked as Bickslow left the room to get everything with a grin.  _Heh, that's how I felt too…_

"Because while I'm talking about the letter, I want someone to take notes on it. Later on, we can see if there are any connections to be made with what I already know from my research. Plus…" Lucy paused, then looked at Evergreen and Laxus, then to Bickslow when he came back in the room. "I want to hear your input on what's happening. You three might think of something that I haven't, because you each see things differently. My biases could miss something crucial, and now I see that I should have asked for your help before…"

"It's all good, sis," Laxus whispered. He watched Bickslow walk warily over to the bed, still unsure of whether he could come near Lucy even though she had hugged him. When Lucy didn't react to him being so close, Bickslow visibly relaxed and put the box of tissues and a hairbrush next to the letter, then sat down at the small desk in the corner of the room and got ready to write.

Laxus raised an eyebrow in question, and Bickslow chuckled. "Lucy's got bedhead. Figured you'd wanna fix that."

Laxus looked down at Lucy's golden hair and chuckled along with Bickslow, then moved so he was leaning against the headboard. "Come here, sis."

Lucy looked over at Laxus and nodded, then readjusted so she was sitting cross-legged between his open legs. She pulled the elastic band out of her braid, then pushed it over her shoulder and set the band in his outstretched hand. "The day after Freed was taken, I sent a letter out to someone I thought might be able to help. This is her response to my inquiry." Her eyes closed for a moment while she felt the small tingling sensation across her scalp from Laxus unbraiding her hair.

"Who's it from?" Evergreen asked.

"Hisui E. Fiore," Lucy answered.

Everyone gaped at Lucy: Laxus stopped brushing her hair, Bickslow dropped the pen on the desk, and Evergreen fell off of the bed. "So, you just casually wrote a letter to the  _Princess of Fiore_ … and she answered you?!" Evergreen shouted in shock as she stood up and brushed herself off before taking her seat again.

Lucy nodded and a small reminiscent smile curved across her scarred lips. "We became friends after the whole Eclipse Gate incident, and we write to each other from time to time." Lucy sighed and shook her head, then felt Laxus start brushing her hair again. "I told her what happened to Freed, and gave her a brief synopsis of everything his father's done from his torture until now. Then, I told her my plan to find a way to bring him back to us so that his father couldn't legally take him away again, and I asked if she had any advice."

"What did she say?" Bickslow asked softly.

Lucy looked down at the letter, running a finger over the royal crest at the top of the page, then read it aloud for everyone.

_Dearest Lucy,_

_First, you must know that I am truly happy that you have found someone for whom you care so deeply, and he is a lucky man to have captured your heart. It pains me greatly to learn of your loss, and I wish I was able to give you good news. I don't know when you'll finally receive this letter, and I hope that anything I write is not information you've already found on your own. The Justine family is not like your own—while Jude was a self-made man, Frances relies on his lineage that dates back centuries. This lineage is what has given him a higher status within society, and his own business acumen only cements his right to that position in the minds of his peers. As the eldest son, Freed Justine is legally bound to his father's estate by tradition, and there are few ways to separate him entirely from that fate. The first is an official renouncement of his claim as an heir; however, Frances will have to sign a contract recognizing Freed's choice, and submit it through the proper channels, along with more paperwork to recognize the next eldest as legal heir. The second option is for Frances to disown Freed; however, based on the severity of his actions to return Freed to the estate, I am sure that this is not a viable option. The third, and final, option is—_

Lucy stopped and stared at the next few words.

"Lucy?" Laxus asked softly as the scent of tears slowly filled his nose. "Sis, what's wrong?"

Lucy shook her head, wiped her tears away and tried to continue reading. Her voice caught in her throat, and finally she carefully handed the letter to Evergreen and then leaned back against Laxus. Her hair wasn't braided yet, but it didn't matter to her. She felt Laxus' arms wrap around her, and slowly turned and pulled her knees to her chest, nuzzling his chest to try and feel something other than the guilt inside of her that had started to swell again.

Evergreen read through the letter to find where Lucy had stopped, and then gasped. She looked from the paper to everyone in the room, then took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things, and read it again. Finally, she cleared her throat and continued reading.

_The third and final option is an engagement. In the event that Freed was engaged, his fiancée would have the legal means to demand his return, as only she would rank higher than his own father in this situation. I wish there was more that I could do, but the monarchy is unable to intervene without the potentiality of inciting a rebellion against us for favoritism. While I would love nothing more than to strip the Justines of their title and power—especially because Frances abused the loopholes in the laws to sanction torturing his own son—my hands are tied. I can say that if you find a way to bring him back, feel free to call me. If I'm able to help in some way, please let me know. I wish you the best of luck in this endeavor, Lucy Heartfilia. Please remember that you are not alone in this, and I look forward to hearing from you again. (P.S. If you do decide to call, make sure it's after midnight. I'm always alone by then, so we'll have privacy.)_

_Best wishes, Hisui._

Evergreen sighed and folded the letter before placing it on the bed. She looked over at Bickslow and saw the smile he'd had before from hugging Lucy had completely vanished while he stared at the blank paper in front of him. She turned to look at Laxus and watched as he frowned while he continued comforting Lucy. Lucy herself was silently crying, and it broke Evergreen's heart to see her like that.

"Bix," Laxus whispered as he looked over at the Seith mage. "Come over here, man."

Bickslow raised an eyebrow, then slowly stood up and walked over to the bed. As soon as he was standing next to it, he saw Laxus move over and motion for him to sit down in the now vacant spot. Not knowing what else to do, Bickslow saw down and leaned against the headboard, then gasped when Lucy's hand shot out and her fingers laced with his. He looked from the closed eyes of the crying blonde girl up to Laxus with unasked questions lurking in his eyes.

Laxus sighed and said, "She feels safe with me. You make her feel happy. She needs us, man." Laxus looked over at Evergreen, sitting at the foot of the bed and staring at the letter. Before he could say anything, a small voice spoke from just in front of him.

"E-Ever?" Lucy whispered through her tears.

Evergreen's head shot up to look at Lucy.  _She called me…_  "Yes, Lucy?"

"C-Could you come h-here?" Lucy asked, reaching out her free hand towards the end of the bed and keeping her eyes closed.

When Evergreen made no move to come closer, Bickslow leaned forward and dragged her across the bed until she was sitting right between his own legs and leaning on his chest. "She wants to hold your hand, Ever. Help her out," he whispered while he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Evergreen looked from Bickslow to Laxus, then to the hand that Lucy held out to her. "But…" she whispered, completely unsure of herself in that moment. Over the course of two weeks, every attempt she had made to help Lucy had failed. Laxus had been close to her right away, and Bickslow had gotten close to her as well.

Lucy slowly opened her eyes and looked over at Evergreen. She sat up slightly and Laxus' arms loosened just enough for her to move so she could readjust herself before snuggling closer to him. "I've got Laxus to keep me safe. Bickslow to make me happy," Lucy said as she reached over to take Evergreen's hand, lacing their fingers and giving her friend the best smile she could manage.

"What can  _I_  do?" Evergreen asked sadly as she looked at their intertwined fingers.

"What you always do, Ever," Lucy whispered, closing her eyes again. "You give me hope."


	12. To Freed's Love

"I do?" Evergreen whispered with tears in her eyes.

Lucy nodded, the small smile she was able to manage never leaving her face. "You've always given me hope. Just like my big brother has always made me feel safe, and Bix always makes me happy. I…" Lucy paused, feeling the guilt swelling inside of her before all three of the mages on the bed gave her a light squeeze where they held her, effectively pushing the guilt back down. "I shouldn't have pushed you two away. I'm sorry," Lucy whispered, lightly squeezing Bickslow's and Evergreen's hands.

"Heh, no problem Lucy," Bickslow said softly. "I forgive ya."

Evergreen smiled and nodded. "I forgive you too, Lucy."

Lucy forced her bottom lip to push out just slightly as she opened her eyes—even though she couldn't feel playful in that moment, the emotions inside of her were enough to help her emulate it—and said, "What, no more 'Cosplayer' and 'Lulu'?"

"Holy shit, are you pouting?!" Bickslow shouted, earning himself a smack on the leg from Evergreen.

"Don't scream in my ear, asshole!" Evergreen shouted back.

"Watch it, you two," Laxus grumbled. "No fighting on my bed."

Lucy peeked up at Laxus and giggled, and when his eyes shot to her she said, "That just sounds ridiculous, Laxus."

Laxus grinned and leaned down to gently kiss her forehead before saying, "Well, if it makes you laugh, then I'll be as ridiculous as you want, sis."

Lucy nodded and looked back to Evergreen and Bickslow, returning to her forced pout. "Well?" she asked.

Bickslow's grinned and let his tongue wag around while he said, "You'll always be a cosplayer. It just didn't feel right to call you that when you couldn't yell at me for it."

Lucy nodded, then looked at Evergreen who blushed and said, "Well, you weren't calling me 'Ever' anymore…" She paused, then grinned as she continued. "But, you are now! So welcome back, Lulu!"

Lucy let the pout go and felt her smile come back naturally as she laid against Laxus' chest again. "That's more like it. I want things to be like they were…" she whispered, her eyes feeling heavy again.

Laxus frowned and said, "Sis, you falling asleep?" His eyebrow raised in confusion when her emotions disappeared from her scent again.  _They go away when she's falling asleep?_

Lucy nodded slowly and said, "Yeah… We can work on the letter… later on…"

"Are you sure?" Evergreen asked softly.

Lucy nodded again. "I'm… sure… Need sleep…" She was silent for a long time, her breathing starting to even out, and just before Lucy was completely asleep, she whispered, "Love you guys…"

The remaining Raijinshuu stared in shock at the sleeping blonde, smiles on each of their faces. "We love you too, sis," Laxus whispered. He looked over at Evergreen and Bickslow and said, "Well, you can either make dinner or we can all get some much needed rest."

Evergreen raised an eyebrow at him, looking from her and Lucy's interlaced fingers, to Bickslow's, and back to Laxus. "I'm not moving," she said softly, "This is the first time she's let either of us come remotely close to her, I'm not letting go."

Bickslow nodded and settled his babies on the desk. "Me neither. Cosplayer wants us here, so I'm staying."

"Better get comfortable then," Laxus said with a smirk. He slowly moved Lucy from between his legs, curling himself around her with his chest to her back. He watched in amusement as Evergreen and Bickslow actually worked together to get themselves under the blanket and into a position that mirrored his own. Evergreen's back was pressed to Bickslow's chest while they both faced the center of the bed and held onto Lucy's hands. "Bix, man… Lights," Laxus muttered while he closed his eyes and nestled his nose in Lucy's free-flowing golden hair.

Bickslow mumbled, "Babies, get the lights," as his own eyes closed. He carefully reached over Evergreen, pulling her glasses off and placing them on the nightstand behind him before carefully draping his arm around her waist. "You tell Elfman about this, and I'll kill you, Ever," he muttered.

Evergreen smirked and whispered, "I'd say don't tell Cana, but I doubt she'd care… Actually,  _don't_  tell Cana… I don't want her hounding me for a threesome."

Bickslow and Laxus snorted, then Laxus said softly, "Shut the hell up and go to sleep. We don't know when she's gonna wake back up." It wasn't long before everyone's breathing evened out, each of them falling into a peaceful slumber while drawing comfort from the ones they held most dear.

* * *

Leo smiled as he looked at the four sleeping mages on the bed. He and the rest of Lucy's spirits had been watching her for the past two weeks, each of them mourning both the loss of Freed—because he was so special to their Princess—and what was happening to her as a result of it. None of them dared to open their gates and talk to her at Leo's request. It had pained him greatly to put that order out, and there had been countless times over the past two weeks that he had almost gone against the order himself just so he could hold her down and force her to eat. Luckily, Laxus had finally made some headway with Lucy, and everyone had breathed a little easier when they watched her eat for the first time. Her progress was slow at first, but as Laxus pressed harder they could see that she was starting to come around. What had surprised all of them was what happened during that day.

Lucy had attacked and almost killed one of her own friends. Leo had Virgo, Capricorn, and Aquarius all holding him back while they watched it happen, and the fight in him had instantly died when she passed out and started bleeding again. The devastation in Laxus' eyes mirrored their own, even though all of her spirits could tell that she wasn't dying but had only exhausted herself. Leo had been surprised to say the least to see the great Laxus Dreyar so broken, but his heart had been warmed by Gajeel's words. As a Celestial Spirit, Leo had been around long enough to know what Lucy being Laxus' kin meant, and the pieces all started falling into place. After everything was said and done, and the spirits thought things would return to what had become normal for Lucy, she surprised them again by regaining an emotion of hers. At first, they had been excited when she hugged Laxus, and felt the sense of security from his presence wash over them through their bond with Lucy. The safety he offered her didn't last, and they hoped the next emotion she got wouldn't stick around once it showed up.  _Remorse_ , Leo thought sadly while he watched their even breathing.  _Why did it have to be remorse?_

He frowned as he replayed the rest of the day in his memory: Laxus trying to help Lucy, how much she had cried and the pain she had felt while her heart broke. They all heard the thoughts rolling through her head while she felt that pain, and it hit each of them as hard as it hit her. They heard her worries and fears, even if she wasn't feeling those emotions, while she talked to Laxus in his bed. Every spirit couldn't help but smile every time Lucy and Laxus went to sleep—it was the only time the blank face that she always had seemed appropriate, and it was also absolutely adorable (according to Aries) how Laxus turned into a big teddy bear when it came to Lucy.

Leo frowned when the letter on the bed fell to the floor.  _Three options for getting him back. None of those will work, but that's how the laws are written._  He turned around and paced back and forth in the common area before turning back to the image of Lucy being held closely by her team. "Has Crux found anything else?" he asked while he watched the mages.

"Nothing yet, Leo," Capricorn said sadly. "There's something we can do to help her, but I fear the consequences if she finds out."

Leo rounded on the Goat spirit, stalking over to him and glaring. His voice was low when he spoke, and filled with venom. "Why did you not tell me sooner that there was a way to help her?"

Capricorn sighed and shook his head, closing his eyes briefly before pulling the papers out of his jacket and handing them to the Zodiac leader. While Leo read them with wide eyes, Capricorn said, "This is a last resort, Leo. I won't take that away from her. It was all left behind before, and I refuse to force it on her now."

"Even for the sake of his return?" Leo asked slowly as he folded the papers back up and handed them to Capricorn.

"If there is no other option, I will tell her myself. It's my duty," Capricorn said solemnly.

Aquarius sighed and nodded from Scorpio's embrace, then looked sadly at Cancer. "We all knew, Leo," she said softly. "Me, Scorpio, Cancer, and Capricorn. We didn't want to bring it up unless there was no other way."

Leo shook his head, turning back to the image of the once bubbly blonde that held their keys. "There might not be another way," he whispered. "Shouldn't we tell her now?"

When Leo turned around to face the other spirits, he saw everyone shaking their heads. "No," Capricorn said solemnly, "She will need to exhaust all other avenues for her own sake, otherwise this revelation will not go well. You know how stubborn she is."

Leo chuckled sadly and nodded. "I really hope it doesn't come to this… It shouldn't be this way."

Virgo took a step forward and placed her hand on Leo's shoulder before looking at the other spirits with a small smile. "Even if we have to give this to her, I doubt it will make much of a difference in the long run."

"Why is that?" Leo asked, narrowing his eyes when he saw the mischievous glint in the maid's eyes.

"Because it was going to happen anyway, Leo," Virgo said happily, letting the stoicism of her face drop while she grinned and opened her hands to show everyone else what she had found.

* * *

Freed shot up in his bed with a scream ripping from his mouth, a cold sweat pouring down his face, and his breaths coming in short pants. His night shirt was completely drenched, and he lifted his shaky hands to tear it off of him. Once the soaked shirt was gone, he looked at the time.  _Six in the morning,_  he thought sadly. He was getting less and less sleep each night as his nightmares started coming back. He had hoped that they wouldn't come while Lucy wasn't there to help him relax afterwards, but the past week had showed him that it was only wishful thinking. They were getting worse every night, and he didn't know how much more he could take.

Every night he would return to his cell as soon as he closed his eyes. The torture he had endured replayed in his mind, except the night that Lucy had saved him was different—she never came. In his nightmares, Ansa continued whipping him until he was almost dead, then a new form of torture was introduced, but it always changed. One night his fingernails were ripped off one by one, then he was beaten until he woke up. The next, he was suspended over a fire and slowly rotated as if he was being roasted like an animal; his hair caught on fire and wrapped around him, filling his nostrils with the noxious smell of burning flesh and hair. This last one had been the worst yet: Lucy was there with him, suspended in chains identical to his and facing him. Her long blonde hair covered her naked quivering breasts as she shook in fear, and he was forced to watch as Ansa tortured her. Any time he moved or made a noise, Lucy was shocked and her flesh sizzled as electricity coursed through her. If he begged for them to torture him instead, she was skewered through the middle with a long metal javelin and he was forced to watch her bleed out. Her screams echoed in his memory, and he felt tears pouring down his face.

"Master Freed?" a short elderly maid asked as she rushed into the room, closing the door behind her and turning on the lamp on his nightstand. "Is everything alright? I hea—"

Freed looked up and saw the woman staring in horror at his exposed torso. He quickly wrapped his arms around his stomach to cover himself and looked away in shame, shielding the rest of his scars from her gaze with his hair.

"Wh-What happened to you?" she asked softly, sitting at the foot of his bed.

"It's nothing to concern yourself with, Mara," he replied, roughly wiping away his tears and wishing that Lucy was there. She always knew how to help him after a nightmare.

"Freed," she whispered sadly as she moved closer to brush his hair over his shoulder. He didn't resist, but didn't look at her either. She raised a hand to touch one of the scars on his arm, but stopped when he flinched and pulled away. "He did this, didn't he?" she asked through gritted teeth.

Freed shook his head quickly, tightening his grip around his torso as if he was holding himself together. "I… I can't talk about it …" he said through the new tears that were falling.

"I'll never understand that father of yours," she spat. "Doing something like this to his own child. I've been with you boys for years, I know what he's capable of. This is just wrong."

"It wasn't him…" he said, though his words were hardly more than a breath. His body was still wracked with tremors from his nightmare.  _I want Lucy,_  he thought sadly,  _She made everything better…_

"Hiring someone is the same as doing it yourself, Freed. I just don't understand how he got you to come back," she said, shaking her head and wiping away a tear of her own.

"He threatened to kill her," Freed whispered, biting his lip to hold back the well of emotions inside of him. "She would have died if they didn't bring me back with them…"

"A woman?" Maras asked in shock.

Freed nodded and finally looked into the eyes of the only maid that had treated him like a person no matter what. "She saved my life, and stopped them from torturing me. We were together for six months, and he finally found my weakness. He exploited it to bring me back, and I… I don't even know if she's still… alive…" Freed dropped his head in defeat and sobbed.

Mara leaned forward and carefully wrapped her arms around Freed's shoulders. "Is there any way to find out?" she asked softly once his cries had died down again.

Freed shook his head. "I can't contact them. He'll find out, and if she  _is_  alive it could put her in danger."

"Tell me what happened, dear," she said patting his knee kindly.

"We were going to the guild to open Christmas presents with everyone—"

Mara gasped and whispered, "On Christmas?"

Freed nodded, wiping away his tears again as he told her the entire story. "Th-the last thing I told her was… that I l-loved her…" he cried. "And then… I w-woke up here…"

Mara silently cried through the story, shaking her head and wishing there was some way for her to help the young man. She remembered how reserved he had always been when the boys were younger, quiet and respectful and keeping everyone at arm's length. There was only one time in Freed's life that she knew of that he hadn't pushed someone away, but the child he had befriended was ripped away from him. Everyone had been banned from even speaking about that sweet and innocent friend of his because of Mr. Justine, and eventually Freed completely forgot he ever had a friend to begin with. He had finally found love, and she knew he must have been happy with the woman he spoke of; however, Freed's father had denied his own son happiness yet again by ripping the boy away from someone he cared about. "Why don't you tell me about her, Freed?" Mara asked hopefully. "She must be quite the woman to have caught your eye."

Freed sighed and nodded before pulling back to look her in the eyes with a reminiscent smile. "She's brave, strong, intelligent, compassionate, absolutely breathtaking, and one of the most amazing mages I've ever met. She never ceases to amaze me, and even after being with her for six months she still finds a way to outsmart me from time to time."

Mara's jaw dropped in utter disbelief, gaining a watery smile and a chuckle from the Rune mage. "How did you meet?" Mara asked.

Freed nodded and smiled. "We're in the same guild. I joined before she did, but I didn't meet her until there was an altercation in the guild. My best friend tried to take over as guildmaster, and we helped him in his efforts. We were beaten, and I'm thankful every day that we didn't succeed."

"That doesn't sound like something you would do," she said with a frown.

"It isn't. I tried to convince him to stop, but he's the first friend I ever had. He said I had to choose between him and the current guildmaster, so I chose him," Freed replied sadly. "She was turned to stone by one of my teammates, and I barely even noticed her." Freed paused, then said, "I had to fight against her once. That was the first time I got to see what she was like in battle."

Mara smiled as Freed told her about the S-Class trials, and his battle with the woman he eventually came to love. She had laughed when he told her how the woman Cana and his own love had finally defeated him and the man named Bickslow, and felt a swell of pride when he gave her his reason for letting them win. "That was very noble of you, Freed," she said softly.

Freed shrugged and said, "Cana had been trying for years to become S-Class. I didn't find out until afterwards that she wanted to do it so she could find the courage to tell her father that they were related. Besides, there's always next time… Well—" He paused and sighed. "There  _was_ …"

"It's okay, dear… Why don't you tell me about the night she saved you?"

He chuckled sadly and said, "I thought she was an angel when she saved me. All I could see was blonde hair and a bloody face, but her voice… It was comforting and light, lilting in just the right way that took my breath away and made me feel safe."

Mara smiled at the young man and said, "You seem very much in love with her, Freed. I've never seen you smile like this in all the years I've known you."

Freed kept smiling, and said, "I never did before her. She helped me get past what happened to me." He paused and traced a scar on his wrist, his smile finally faltering. "She was the only person that didn't see scars when she looked at me. She used to ask me about them when we were sitting at home in front of the fire before bed, and made me tell her what happened for each one. Afterwards, she would run her hands over them until I relaxed, then kiss them and smile at me. She has the most beautiful smile I've ever seen..." He took a shaky breath and added, "She always knew just what to say or do to make me feel better. No matter what happened, or how upset I was over something, she was right there to help me get through it. I didn't feel ashamed of my scars with her…"

"Do you feel ashamed now?" Mara asked.

Freed shrugged. "Only four people saw my scars without any issues. She looked past the scars and saw me, and my three closest friends just ignored them and acted as if they weren't there to the best of their abilities. I'm not so much ashamed of them as afraid to let people see them… They'll react the same way you did." He looked up into Mara's eyes and said, "I don't want people to pity me because of what's happened."

Mara nodded. "What else can you tell me about her?"

"She grew up in high society like I did, and ran away to join Fairy Tail when her father tried to marry her off," Freed said sadly.

"So she understands what your life was like here, then?" Mara asked.

Freed nodded. "She plays the piano, and used to write music until her mother died." Freed smiled and said, "The first time she visited my house we played the piano together… She had been upset when she played the song she wrote for her mom, so we played 'Heart and Soul' to cheer her up."

Mara laughed and said, "I remember when you learned to play that. You never stopped. It drove all of us crazy." When Freed chuckled, she said, "What else?"

He thought for a moment, then said, "She makes friends with everyone she meets, no matter how off-putting they are. She even got my best friend to open up to her, and now it's as if they're really related; he's probably the most closed-off person I've ever met. I told her how to decode that secret language I made for myself, Christophe, and Avery when we were younger, and she translated a message in about a minute—I was pleasantly surprised by how skilled she was. She loves winter, especially when it snows. On Christmas Eve, she was running around outside and eating snowflakes while they fell."

Mara giggled and said happily, "She sounds like a breath of fresh air, Freed."

"She is," he said with a smile, tracing his guild mark. "She's been through so much in her life, and she always finds a way to smile. If I didn't see for myself, I wouldn't have believed that she has nightmares all the time…"

"Nightmares?"

Freed nodded with a sigh. "Sleeping next to her kept mine away most nights. It was the same for her. Whenever one of us had one, the other was always right there to help. She made me feel safe when I needed it the most. Every night for six months, I had her right there with me. I never felt like I was alone or unloved… She was everything to me…"

Mara stayed silent for a moment before saying, "You said she had a bloody face when you saw her?"

Freed nodded. "She got hurt while she was trying to save me. She took out fifteen men and then fought against a Speed mage. She didn't have a weapon, but the other woman had my sword and a whip."  
"Oh my goodness!" Mara said, throwing a hand over her mouth and staring wide-eyed at him.

"She hesitated when the whip hit her in the ribs, and the other woman took the opportunity to slash her face open with my sword. When she fell to the ground, the woman kicked her until her ribs were broken."

"Someone must have come by to help!" Mara whispered in shock. "There's no way—"

Freed shook his head with a watery smile and said, "No. She got up and broke the woman's wrist, then slammed her face into the ground until she was unconscious." He chuckled when he saw the shocked expression on the older woman's face. "I did tell you she was strong. She broke me out of the prison I was locked in by figuring out the rules for it in a matter of minutes, carried me back to her house even though her own ribs were broken, then tended my wounds and helped me sleep."

"Did she have a scar?" Mara asked softly. "From being hit with your sword? I heard there's a healer that can get rid of injuries so they won't scar. Some little girl."

Freed nodded and smiled. "That's Wendy, she's in my guild. But, yes. She has a scar from here to here," he said, drawing a line from the hairline on the left side of his forehead diagonally across his face to the right side of his chin.

Mara gasped and shook her head. "That sounds…"

"Beautiful," Freed answered. "I don't see it when I look at her, just like she doesn't see my scars." He sniffled and then laughed when Mara pulled a tissue from her pocket and handed it to him.

"I love hearing about her," Mara said with a soft smile. "Please tell me more?"

Freed chuckled while he reminisced about all of the wonderful things he had come to learn about Lucy. "What would you like to know?"

Mara hummed in thought and then asked, "When did you fall in love with her?"

Freed blushed and traced another scar on his arm. "I'm not sure when I fell in love with her, because of how our relationship started. I do know that when she told me she loved me, I felt so many emotions running through me that I didn't know what to do… Until I realized that I loved her too. It came out of nowhere, as if it had been hiding and just waiting for the right moment to show itself."

"It seems you've found a very independent woman, Freed… If she told you she loved you before you said it," Mara said with a sweet smile. "How long had you two been together? Two, three months?"

Freed's blush deepened, but he still smirked and said, "Two days."

Mara giggled and patted his knee, "Surely that can't be right, dear. That is very sudden."

Freed nodded. "You're right, it was sudden. With everything that happened in the course of two days between us, somewhere between her saving my life, bringing me back from my panic attacks, the nightmare she had after her house was destroyed as a ploy to get me to return, and the threat to her life… We became the support the other needed. She knew how to comfort me because she had been through the same thing before. I held her and opened up to her when she told me her insecurities. She lost everything because of my father, and his actions inadvertently brought us closer together. It may have been sudden, but we lived together the entire time we dated and I had never been happier in my life than I was with Lucy by my side. I know it's love, Mara. There's nothing else it could be."

Too many emotions filled the older maid at that point. She was proud of Freed for finding a woman he truly loved, proud of the woman who had saved him and showed him what love could be like, and absolutely ecstatic that the couple had been able to find happiness with one another. All of her positive emotions flew out the window when she heard that name.  _Blonde, high society, dead mother, Lucy…_ , she thought as she put the pieces together.  _Please let it not be true…_  Mara had instantly become worried, fear filling her and dousing the warmth that her pride had created. "Freed, that's the first time you've said her name," Mara whispered.

Freed grimaced and said, "It's sometimes too difficult to think about her, Mara. I love her, but there's no way for us to be together. I have to stay here so she'll be safe…"

"F-Freed," Mara whispered, leaning forward and letting her worry show. "What… Um… What does she look like?"

Freed smirked and turned around, sticking his hand underneath one of the pillowcases and pulling out a picture. "This was in my jacket when I was taken. I don't think she even knew I kept a picture of her with me."

Mara gasped in horror and dropped the picture on the bed, then looked up at Freed with wide, tear-filled eyes.  _It's her… Oh, Freed…_  "Freed, dear. Please listen to me," she said quickly fear instantly filling her. "Never let  _anyone_  see this picture. Please. For your own good, and for her safety. Please…"

Freed's eyebrows furrowed and he leaned forward, picking up the picture of Lucy smiling softly at the camera a month after she saved him, her eye patch transparent and the gash completely healed, with sunlight shining down on her and lighting up her golden hair. "What's wrong?" he whispered. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

Mara shook her head and stood up, smoothing her dress and glancing at the door. "No one can know who she is, Freed. Don't let anyone see that. Don't say her name… Ever! There's bad blood between your families, and if your father finds out about your relationship with her, he'll kill her for sure."

"Bad blood?" Freed asked. "My parents never knew her—"

"Yes, they did. I swear to you. They were close as can be, until he found out her mother was a mage. You know how he feels about magic…"

"How would he know that she's—"

"She looks just like her mother, Freed. Almost identical… Well, except for the scar and her eye," Mara whispered. She rushed forward and placed her hands on his before she said, "The two of you used to play together all the time when you were younger. If we couldn't find you when her parents were visiting, all we had to do was look in the library—you both loved reading so much that you spent all of your time there. You were the best of friends until he found out about her mother's past."

"I don't remember any of this," Freed whispered, filled with confusion.

"You were still young, Freed. We were all banned from speaking of her, on your father's orders. He wanted to make sure there was nothing to remind you of her…" Mara sighed and said, "Freed, if you want to keep her safe, then keep her identity a secret. Don't tell anyone who she is, because if he finds out he  _will_  have her killed to make sure—"

"Mara," Christophe called from the now-open doorway. "What are you doing in here?"

Mara stiffened and stood quickly, turning to bow to Christophe. "Master Freed was discussing a personal matter with me, sir," she responded respectfully.

"Then why is his shirt off?" he retorted, raising his eyebrow in question. He kept his face neutral when he saw that the scars on Freed were on more than just his forearms, travelling all across his torso in a sickening pattern.

"He was too warm, and ended up sweating through it, sir," Mara answered. "I will prepare another shirt for him."

"There is no need, Mara," Freed said solemnly, slipping his mask back in place. "I must prepare for the day." He turned to his brother and said, "I will see you at breakfast, Christophe."

Christophe nodded shortly and turned to walk away with his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He had stood outside of Freed's room when he heard hushed voices, and couldn't believe how much he had learned about both his own brother and the woman that had become his greatest weakness. After the incident in the library, both Christophe and Freed had acted like it never happened; although, Christophe had told Freed that he would make himself available if his brother needed someone to talk to.  _Who_ _ **is**_ _this woman Freed was speaking so highly of?,_  he wondered as he made his way down the hall.  _Why did I not know about her before Freed came back?_

Mara turned back to Freed once the coast was clear, and whispered, "Hide that in your jacket. No one will look there." After he nodded, she picked up his discarded shirt and walked quickly out of his room, closing the door behind her.

Freed looked back down at the picture and shook his head.  _What did she mean?,_  he wondered.  _What would my father gain from killing Lucy?_  Freed sighed and walked over to his red jacket, placing the picture in a small hidden pocket on the inside of the outer lapel. He sighed once more before walking into the bathroom to start his day.

* * *

Lucy's eyes stayed closed while she thought about what she had read in the letter from Hisui. There were three options for legally separating Freed from his father, but none of them seemed to do her any good. She needed to read what Crux had found, but Laxus said he would read it so she could rest and let her read it later.  _Well, that changed when I ran off,_  she thought. She could head the steady breathing of her other three teammates, and felt each of the emotions they instilled in her with the contact between them. Lucy's eyes slowly opened to a mostly dark room, but based on how she was laying on the bed, she had figured out what happened.  _They didn't want to leave me,_  she thought with a small swell of happiness inside of her,  _They stayed to comfort me even while I was asleep._

Lucy lifted her head slightly and saw the alarm clock on the nightstand. Six o'clock. Based on how dark the room was, that could only mean that they had all slept through dinner and well into the night. Her eyes slowly drifted across the room, and she spent a long while looking at the faces of the two people she hadn't allowed near her in far too long. If she had been normal, she probably would have found it funny to see Bickslow holding Evergreen the way he was, but instead all Lucy could see was how much they cared for not only her but one another.

"You okay, sis?" Laxus whispered when Lucy laid her head back down on his arm that she had turned into a pillow.

"Yes," she whispered back. "Why are you awake?"

Laxus smirked and said, "I always wake up when you do." He squeezed her lightly, then added, "Did you want to get to work? We can wake them up…"

Lucy thought for a moment, then said, "Are you sure it's okay? They look so peaceful…"

Laxus pressed a soft kiss to her hair and nodded. "We all want to help. If you're ready to work, then so are we. I'd say we should get everyone downstairs so we can get some food in our stomachs though."

"I second that," Bickslow grumbled, rolling slightly and unconsciously pulling Evergreen closer to him while he tried to go back to sleep.

Lucy nodded and slowly pulled her hand from Evergreen's, then reached up and tucked a few stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Ever," she whispered, "It's time to wake up."

Evergreen mumbled something and rolled over onto her other side, then snuggled closer to the warm expanse of Bickslow's chest while she dreamt.

Laxus chuckled and raised an eyebrow while he watched his two teammates cuddling with each other while they slept. "I'll be right back," he whispered to Lucy, then carefully got out of the bed. He walked silently into Evergreen's bedroom and grabbed her camera, then returned to his room and quickly snapped a picture of the three mages lying on the bed after her turned on the light. The flash had made Lucy open her eyes, but both Bickslow and Evergreen had slept right through it. He tucked the picture into a drawer in his desk, then laid back down on the bed. "Blackmail," Laxus whispered when Lucy turned to look at him.

Lucy nodded, then said, "We should wake them up…"

After a moment, Laxus grinned deviously. "Let go of Bix's hand. I'll wake them up." When he saw Lucy was free from the Seith mage's grip, Laxus propped himself on one elbow and leaned over Lucy, then roughly pushed Evergreen and Bickslow off of the bed.

"ACK!" Evergreen shouted.

There was a loud grunt, and then a long and pained groan from Bickslow before he started coughing. "Get your… Knee… Off of my nuts!" he wheezed before he pushed Evergreen off of him.

Laxus couldn't help but laugh, rolling onto his back from the force of it and instantly regretting it when he fell off of the bed as well. The wind was knocked out of him, but as soon as he could breathe again his laughter returned.

Lucy sat up slowly and looked around the room at her teammates. After a few minutes, with Laxus calming down, Evergreen grumbling about being violated in her sleep by a pervert, and Bickslow finally able to stand after the abuse his family jewels had received, everyone made their way downstairs to have an early breakfast before getting to work.

* * *

Crux opened his eyes with his normal shout, startling the other spirits in the common area. "I have found something concerning Miss Lucy," he said.

"What is it?" Aquarius asked quickly, her hand pressed to her chest to slow her pounding heart.

"It concerns what happened when he was taken," Crux answered, "More specifically, what happened with her emotions."

There was a long silence while everyone waited for the Southern Cross to elaborate, and when he made no move to do so, Leo sighed and said, "Well, what did you find?" Leo had been the one to specifically ask Crux to search out what could cause Lucy to lose her emotions the way she had, and now that they had an answer, he was hoping it was something good.

"It seems that our previous theory was correct: Miss Lucy was unable to cope with losing Freed in such a traumatic way, and her mind shut down all forms of stimuli so she could focus on the sole task of bringing him back," Crux replied. "However, something like this would normally have happened within the first hour of his capture."

"What do you mean, 'normally'?" Leo asked. "This isn't normal."

"You are correct, Leo. While it is not a normal occurrence for something as drastic as what Miss Lucy is experiencing, the simplest way to describe it is that she went into shock. After a traumatic experience, it is common for victims to go into a state of shock—where their senses are dulled and they feel numb or detached—but those effects wear off much faster in mages. Miss Lucy is a woman who is very closely tied to her emotions, and it seems that what happened with Freed was much more than she was capable of handling in any capacity."

"So…" Aquarius said, slightly confused. "She's in shock, but it's different than normal?"

"Precisely," Crux said. "Instead of her senses and emotions being dulled, they left her completely; she had no sense of happiness, regret, sadness, or anger, and it seems she has also lost the ability to taste and smell as well." He paused for a moment, then continued. "The reason for this isn't clear; however, I believe it has something to do with what has happened in her past."

"You mean her being left alone again?" Leo asked softly.

"Yes, from her parents to her team to Freed, Miss Lucy has been separated from the ones she loves throughout the years," Crux said with a hint of sadness in his old voice. "It seems that Freed's capture was too much for her. As I said, her emotions aren't dulled at all, but they are non-existent inside of her."

"So, where did they go?" Leo asked.

Crux gave the spirits around him a small and encouraging smile. "Her emotions are tied to the ones she loves, and that is where they went when they left her."

Leo's eyes widened, and a smile crept across his face as he remembered what happened earlier in the day.  _Safety with Laxus. Happiness with Bickslow. Hope with Evergreen. But, what about remorse?_  "I can see the emotions she's already gotten back coming from someone, but… the remorse she felt earlier doesn't make sense with that…"

"As she comes closer to her goal of finding him, Lucy's mind restores the emotions that are not tied to anyone in particular," Crux said. "It is based on what she is currently thinking about. I'm assuming you mean the strong wave of guilt we all felt from her?" When Leo nodded, Crux said, "She was thinking about what had happened after I gave her a portion of the information she asked for. That information allowed her mind to see it as a step closer to Freed, and her thoughts about harming her guildmate and what has been happening over these past two weeks caused her remorse to return."

"So, it's a combination of those she cares about and achieving her goal," Capricorn said thoughtfully. "How do we know who holds her emotions? And how could she get them to return to her from those people?"

Crux sighed and said, "Sadly, there are only positive emotions tied to the ones she cares for. She has gotten most of them back." When he saw the confusion on everyone's faces, he said, "Her sense of safety and comfort resided with the Dragon Slayer. Her happiness with the Seith mage. Her hope with the Fairy mage. The only ones left are love and trust, but those both lie with one person."

"Freed," Leo sighed, dropping his head to his hands in frustration. "So, all we can do at this point is keep pushing her in the right direction?"

"Yes, I am afraid so," Crux replied, "With each step she takes, the amount of any emotion she can feel is increased. Should she find him and not succeed in her mission to bring him back, there is no telling what could happen to her."

Leo looked over at Capricorn, then said, "We have to tell her. It's the only way to know for sure…"

"No," Capricorn said firmly. "She is on her way to being ready for it, but we can't push her. I will make the preparations for it in the event that it's needed, but it  _must_  be a last resort." Capricorn paused, then turned back to Crux. "Have you found any information on what she asked you?"

"No, it seems that the information I gave her already is all that I can find," Crux said sadly.

"Then, tell her that much," Capricorn replied. "She'll know exactly what she has available to her, and won't be waiting for more answers."

"I agree," Leo said firmly, turning back to look at the image of Lucy that each of the spirits had been watching. He smiled when he saw Lucy eating at the table with her team, then said, "They'll be working on the letter she received after they eat. Wait until tomorrow to tell her, Crux."

* * *

"Okay," Laxus said once everyone was sitting at the table again. "So, we've gotta figure out what to do based on what Lucy already knows and what the Princess said in her letter, right?"

Lucy nodded, staring intently at the box of tissues in front of her while she mulled over everything. "Let's start with what we know," she said softly, seeing Bickslow pick up the pen and get ready to take notes in her peripherals. "The only information we're missing right now is what Crux brought us yesterday. Bickslow bought the books on the list that I haven't read yet, but we still need to go through the information on Mr. Justine to see if there are any other connections we can make."

"Right," Evergreen said, "But, let's see what we have without that. It will help you focus more on what you find when you read that other stuff because you won't also be thinking about this."

Lucy nodded again. "According to Hisui, the Justines are nobility based on their lineage; that's something I'm sure we'll find in what Crux brought us. Mr. Justine is a successful businessman, but I still don't know what his specialty is."

"Specialty?" Bickslow asked, as he kept writing notes.

"Yes, in high society you learn a little bit of everything to successfully run a business; however, men also tend to specialize in one field or another based on their interests or talents. Women are always taught to specialize in finances, even though we receive the same lessons on other subjects along with how to properly care for a family." There was a short silence before Lucy said, "In my father's case, he specialized in writing contracts for business takeovers. He wasn't proficient with finances, as most men tend not to be because of their belief that they'll find a woman to handle it for them… Then again, in his case, he was just really bad at math."

Laxus chuckled and said, "So, we need to figure out what Freed's dad specializes in?"

"Yes, just in case there's some way to use that to our advantage," Lucy replied. "The next piece of information we have is the three ways to remove Mr. Justine's legal right to Freed's future: official renouncement, disownment, or engagement."

"I thought Freed already renounced his claim," Evergreen said.

Lucy shook her head and said, "Not officially. He told his father after breakfast that he was leaving, then packed his bags and walked out. To officially renounce his claim as heir, Freed would have to sign a statement and get Mr. Justine's signature as well. Then Mr. Justine would have to file paperwork naming Christophe as his legal heir to the estate. With the effort he put into returning Freed, I doubt it would be easy to convince him to allow it."

"Same thing with disowning him," Bickslow said softly. "He's not gonna let Freed go without a fight."

"Well, there's the engagement option," Evergreen said with a shrug, then sighed and shook her head. "But, you guys aren't engaged…"

Bickslow paused in his writing, looking from Lucy to Laxus to Evergreen, then back to Lucy. "Wouldn't you just be able to propose to him?"

Lucy just stares at Bickslow, her body completely incapable of feeling the shock and embarrassment she knew she would otherwise feel, while Laxus ends up choking on his spit. "Uh," Laxus mutters with wide eyes, glancing at Lucy for a moment before staring intently at the table.  _Wow, didn't think something like that would catch me off-guard,_  he thought.  _Then again, it makes sense._

"While it's completely plausible that I could propose to Freed, I won't," Lucy said softly, her eyes never leaving Bickslow's.

"Why not? Then you guys would be engaged, and his dad couldn't do anything about it," Bickslow said while his head tilted to the side.

"A few reasons," Lucy replied. "We were both raised with the knowledge that engagements are arranged through the parents of the individuals or the individuals themselves through contracts. In the event that doesn't happen, the man proposes to the woman according to the rest of society's standards. I don't necessarily have any issue with doing it myself, because I most likely would under any other circumstances."

Everyone stared at her in shock.  _She'd propose to Freed?!_  "So, then what's another reason?" Evergreen asked.

"I won't enter an engagement for the sole purpose of freeing him from his father's grasp," Lucy said simply.

"So why don't you just  _say_  you're engaged?" Laxus asked, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Because then I would be committing perjury," Lucy answered while focusing on the tissues in front of her again. "No matter what happens, I won't take the risk of someone finding out that it was a lie. For us to get Freed back, and never worry about his father trying to do something to retaliate, it has to be completely legal."

There was a collective sigh from the other three mages while they all sat in silence, then Evergreen said, "What did the Princess mean about a rebellion if she intervened?"

"In situations like this, there's only so much the monarchy can do without their rule coming into question. They have to maintain a balance between mages and regular society, and any sense of favoritism towards mages could incite a rebellion if not handled properly," Lucy said softly. "If Hisui strips the Justines of their power, or makes any move against them, as a result of Freed being taken, then they could potentially cause a stir in high society for the monarchy favoring mages over others. She's not willing to take that chance, but no one else in her position would be willing to do that either."

"So, what was your plan to begin with?" Bickslow asked. "You never told us what it was."

"I didn't want to tell you two until I had more information," Lucy admitted. "I only told Laxus about it yesterday before Gray came to the house. My original plan was to—what time is it?"

"Uh… 7:30, why?" Laxus asked.

"We should go to the guild," Lucy said as she stood up and walked to the office. She grabbed her keys from the desk where she had left them, sliding them over her hand and onto her wrist, then walked back out to see her teammates staring at her in shock. "I need to speak with Master about yesterday, then I can talk with Wendy for a moment. I'll explain later." With that, she walked up the stairs and got into the shower.

"What the fuck just happened?" Bickslow asked, looking from the stairs back to the other two stunned mages at the table.

"No clue, but I guess we should get ready…" Laxus said. "I'll call Gramps and let him know we're coming by so he has enough time to recover from his heart attack…"

Bickslow shuddered as they made their way up the stairs. "You know… I never got to tell you what happened while I was at the guild," he said sheepishly. "I may have ripped into everyone… again."

While Evergreen was in the shower, Bickslow and Laxus sat on Freed and Lucy's bed while he explained everything that had happened at the guild. Laxus had listened with a frown on his face that turned into an impressed smirk by the end of the story. They ignored Lucy as she walked out of the bathroom in a towel and started to get dressed, and Laxus said, "On second thought, I'm not calling Gramps. He can just suck it up…"

"Laxus," Lucy said as she started rummaging through the closet for a skirt and turtleneck, "Go ahead and take a shower in here. Evergreen always takes too long."

Laxus laughed and stood up to walk into the bathroom. Just as he was walking past the open closet door, he saw Lucy standing in front of her clothes, seemingly lost. He walked in and grabbed a black mini-skirt with maroon pleats and a matching maroon turtleneck. "Leggings," he said as he handed her the clothes before walking back out of the closet and into the bathroom.

Lucy looked down at what Laxus had handed her, then went over to the dresser to grab a pair of black leggings to go with her clothes. Once she was completely dressed, Lucy picked the towel up off of the floor and opened the bathroom door to put it in the hamper and grab her hairbrush. She noticed that Laxus hadn't grabbed a towel, so she pulled one from the linen closet and draped it over the shower before walking back out into the bedroom.

"Did you seriously just walk in on him taking a shower?" Bickslow asked incredulously. When Lucy only nodded while she tried to brush her hair, Bickslow laughed and shook his head. "Come here, Cosplayer. I can't braid it, but I'll brush it for you."

Lucy gave Bickslow a small smile and handed him the brush while she sat down on the bed. "Bickslow," she whispered while her eyes closed from the tingling sensation in her scalp.

"Yeah, Cosplayer?" Bickslow said with a smile.

"When you use your Figure Eyes on someone, is their consciousness still there?"

Bickslow stopped brushing her hair for a moment, then started up again while he said, "Why do you ask?"

"I've been wondering for a while… Since Fantasia, actually."

"No. When I take control of someone their consciousness goes into stasis. They can see what's happening, but that's it—there's no way for them to break out of it once I'm in control, and they can hardly think about anything while it's happening…" Bickslow said softly. He wasn't used to anyone actually asking him questions about his magic, and when he explained it to Lucy he was able to see why people found him creepy.

Lucy nodded and said, "That's good to know."

* * *

Christophe folded the final piece of parchment and placed it in the designated envelope for his mentor. Breakfast that morning had been the same as it always was with everyone eating in complete silence, the only noises in the large hall coming from the soft clinking of silverware on plates. It had taken every ounce of his control to avoid looking at Freed, especially when he had heard so much that very morning while his brother was speaking with the maid, but he had managed to do just that. As soon as breakfast was finished, Christophe informed his father that he would be in the next town for a few days as part of his apprenticeship, and took his leave.

Looking at the clock, Christophe saw that it was nearing nine o'clock in the morning.  _The express post comes at nine on the dot,_  he reminded himself. Pulling another piece of parchment from his desk, Christophe sighed and thought for several minutes before he started writing the letter. Usually, any form of correspondence he needed to compose was simple, but this single letter seemed all the more daunting because of what it entailed. Never before had he struggled with a salutation, but he didn't quite know how he should go about this. After deciding to just let the words flow and see where it took him, he ended up filling the entire page. Taking a glance at the time, Christophe's eyes widened when he saw that he had only one minute to spare before the post would be taken. He signed it quickly, placed it in an envelope, and before he could argue with himself over where to send it, he hastily wrote:  _Fairy Tail._

* * *

"You sure you wanna do this?" Laxus asked as they approached the guild doors, the usual quiet of the morning already sounding as if the guild was well into a party or brawl—or both. He looked over at Lucy and smiled sadly when he saw the glinting of Freed's sword where it was strapped to her hip with her keys and whip. "We could have just called Gramps if you wanted to talk to him, and Wendy could have come to the house."

"I'm sure," Lucy said softly. She looked at the guildhall doors for a moment, then placed her hand in Laxus' while she said, "Just don't let anyone close… I don't want to hurt them."

Laxus gave Lucy an encouraging smile and kissed the top of her head. "No worries, sis." He motioned for Bickslow and Evergreen to go in first, and the pair of blondes followed shortly after. As soon as everyone realized that he and Lucy were at the guild, they all went completely silent. He glanced down at Lucy and saw that she was keeping her gaze on the floor while they walked, and he pulled his hand away from hers to wrap his arm around her shoulders and pull her close. "I'll keep you safe, remember?" he whispered.

Lucy nodded and took a deep breath while they went up to the bar. She felt her guilt starting to swell, even with Laxus' presence, and had to fight against it while she was surrounded by the people who knew what she had done.

"Gramps here yet, Mira?" Laxus asked when Bickslow and Evergreen moved to stand protectively behind Lucy to keep people away from her.

"U-Uh… Not yet, Laxus," Mira said while she stared at Lucy. Mira knew that everyone's eyes were on the Raijinshuu as they stood at the bar, more specifically on Lucy: she didn't look as bad as Mira had expected, but she was still pale and thinner than usual; there were only the barest remnants of dark circles under her eyes, but those were mostly hidden by her eyelashes while she kept her gaze locked on the bar top.

"Is Wendy here yet?" Lucy whispered. "I want to talk to her."

Laxus nodded and waited a moment for Wendy to come over to the bar, knowing the young Dragon Slayer had heard Lucy as well. "Where do you wanna talk to her?" he asked softly as both Wendy and Gajeel came up to them, standing a few feet away from Lucy.

Lucy looked up at Wendy and, keeping her voice soft enough for only the Dragon Slayers to hear her, said, "Wendy, can you heal me?"

The young blunette instantly smiled and nodded happily. "Of course!" She knew exactly what Lucy was asking her to do. Wendy's magic allowed her to heal almost anything, including the deterioration of muscle due to inactivity and malnutrition. It wouldn't take much magic at all for her to get Lucy back to normal as far as her health was concerned. "Did you eat this morning?" she asked softly, carefully walking forward and looking at Lucy.

"Yes," Lucy said with a nod, "I ate breakfast with everyone this morning." Her eyes never left the bar top, but she noticed how slowly Wendy was walking toward her.

Wendy let out a small startled gasp when Lucy's hand slowly reached out to her, and she extended her own until they were clasped. Wendy took hesitant steps as Lucy gently pulled her closer, and once she was right next to the blonde she sighed. "Okay, I'm going to check and see what I can heal first, then we'll go from there."

Lucy nodded and leaned into Laxus until Wendy spoke again.

"I can heal your deteriorated muscles, and any internal damage from not eating. You'll look the way you did before you stopped eating, except for the circles around your eyes," Wendy said with a small smile. "You'll have to sleep for those to go away completely."

Lucy nodded again and saw Wendy's hands lighting up.

"Is this okay?" Wendy asked carefully. "Does it hurt at all?"

"I don't feel anything, Wendy. I wouldn't know you were healing me if I didn't see your hands glowing," Lucy answered.

A few minutes went by, and Wendy finally pulled her hands away. "All done, Lucy. You're healthy again. Please try to stay healthy, okay?"

Lucy nodded again, then looked up at Laxus while Wendy went to stand by Gajeel. "We should wait for Master to get here…"

Laxus smiled down at Lucy, happy to see the healthy glow in her cheeks and how healthy she looked again. Before he could say anything, Mira cleared her throat.

"Um, Lucy," Mira said softly, "Is there anything I can get for you?" She didn't know how to act around Lucy now, and seeing the blonde girl still looking so vacant broke Mira's heart. Before Lucy could say anything in response, Mira's attention was drawn away by the short post-boy that delivered their mail. "You're here early," Mira said with a sweet smile.

The boy looked happily up at Mira and said, "You guys got some express mail, I figured I'd bring it by now and come back later with the rest." He pulled the envelope out of his bag and handed it to Mira, then gave her one last smile before leaving.

Mira's head cocked to the side as she looked at the letter. Usually mail was addressed to a specific person, even if it was sent to the guild itself. This envelope only said  _Fairy Tail_  in oddly precise letters. Shrugging to herself, since there was no addressee, she opened it and unfolded the letter only to stare at the strange characters covering the entire page.

"Mira?" Laxus asked, "What is it?"

Mira looked from the paper in front of her to Laxus and said, "I don't know… This was sent to the guild, but I can't understand it." She handed him the paper and watched as he looked at it with utter confusion on his face. "Should we get Lev—"

Lucy looked over at the paper and she instantly grabbed it from Laxus and started reading the page with deep interest. A small smile played across her lips while she read through the coded message, and though it wasn't from Freed himself she couldn't help but feel nothing but happiness in that moment. "He's… He's okay," she whispered, tears falling down her cheeks when she finally looked up at Laxus again. "Freed's okay."

"Wait, what?!" Laxus asked incredulously, looking back down at the paper. "How did you—Who's that from?"

"Christophe," Lucy said softly. "His brother sent me a letter."

Laxus chuckled and shook his head. "Well, what does it say?"

Just as Lucy was about to tell Laxus, she decided against it. She carefully folded the letter and placed it in her jacket pocket, then shook her head. "I'll tell you in a little bit." Lucy looked from Laxus to Mira, then thought for a moment. She slowly lifted Laxus' arm from her shoulders and stepped away from him to stand closer to Bickslow and Evergreen. "Laxus," she said softly while keeping her eyes on Mira, "Spend time with Mira until Master gets here. I've kept you two apart long enough."

Laxus smirked and nodded at his sister while Mira just stared in shock. "Keep an eye on her, okay guys?" he said as the trio walked slowly over to the stairs on their way to the team's table. He chuckled when Bickslow gave him a comical salute.

"What's she doing here?" Mira asked, grabbing a mug of beer for Laxus before he could even ask for one.

"I don't know. We were talking this morning, and she stopped in the middle of a sentence to ask the time. Then she said we should come to the guild so she could see Wendy and Gramps, but I have no clue what made her do it," Laxus answered.

"Is she… going to hurt anyone?" Mira asked worriedly, glancing around the guildhall at the other members whose eyes were trained on the second floor.

Laxus rolled his eyes and sighed, then said loud enough for everyone to hear, "She's not gonna hurt anyone. Just don't go near her."

"I don't understand it at all, Laxus," Mira whispered while she polished another glass.

"None of us do, Mira," Laxus said sadly, "We're just doing the best we can to help her."

After a minute, Mira giggled and said, "Elfman says you guys cuddle when you're sleeping."

Laxus chuckled and reached into his pocket. "Yeah, she feels safe with me." He smirked at Mira, then said, "I've got something for you… To make up for not being around as much."

Mira smiled softly, then reached across the bar and took one of his hands in hers. "You didn't need to do that, Laxus. You were taking care of Lucy, and she needed you more than anyone else."

"Still," Laxus said while his grin turned devious. He pulled a picture out of his pocket and slid it across the bar. "I'm sure you'll find a good use for this."

Mira raised an eyebrow then picked up the picture and threw a hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles. "This is too perfect!" she whisper-shouted.

"Ever told him not to tell Cana since she might want a threesome. Bix said not to tell Elfman because it's Elfman, heh."

"Why were they even sleeping like this?" Mira asked as she tucked the picture away in her dress.

Laxus smiled and looked back up at the balcony to see Lucy leaning against it and watching the guild returning to normal after their arrival. "Lucy," he said happily. "She fell asleep holding their hands, and they didn't wanna let her go—last night was the first time she's let them get near her. When she tried to wake Ever up, she rolled over and snuggled up to Bix."

Mira giggled and shook her head, then followed Laxus' line of sight to see Lucy watching everyone from a distance. "We miss her so much," she whispered sadly. "And with what Bickslow told everyone yesterday, we all feel horrible."

Laxus sighed and said, "I hate it, but I'm glad you do." When Mira's head snapped to look at him with a frown, he looked down at the bar top and said, "I get that there's only so much you can understand about the situation while we wouldn't let anyone come see her, but based on what Ever and Bix told me every time they came back from the guild? You guys harped on them constantly about Lucy's 'condition' and only Levy asked how she could really help. Then the whole sword thing…" Laxus paused and shook his head again. "It's a shitty situation for anyone to be in, but from what I can tell no one tried to look past Lucy not being Lucy anymore. Everyone got stuck on her not having emotions instead of getting Freed back."

Lucy stood on the second floor, leaning her elbows on the balcony and looking out across the guildhall at all of her friends. She sighed, allowing the guilt at not being able to be close to them swell for only a moment before she smiled again and pulled Christophe's letter from her pocket. She read over the words in Freed's secret code again and again, gleaning every possible meaning from them that she could.

_To Freed's Love: I hope the information I received was correct in that you are able to read this letter. I have learned a great deal about you in the past day, and wished to send you some sense of peace concerning Freed, along with a request. Freed is well, and has been trying to live life here to the best of his abilities to protect you from our father. Our father himself has threatened to make an example out of you if Freed steps out of line, and I can assure you that this is the reason he has not tried to contact you. He misses you dearly, and it seems as though everything he sees reminds him of you. I did not know that you existed in Freed's life before yesterday, but I am truly happy that he has found someone to love him for who he is, and someone who can see past his scars. Before I can continue, I must apologize to you: I had a hand in my father's plot to return Freed. I did not, however, know that he would be tortured, or that my father would go to such extensive lengths to return him to the estate. My part was small, but the choice to go along with my father's plan in the first place was based on my own selfishness. For that, I am sorry. Had I known how happy Freed was, I never would have agreed to it. Had I known that he had found a woman to love him the way you do, that makes him smile and laugh so openly, I would have given up everything I've worked so hard to achieve to take Freed's place as the next heir. Now, all I can do is try to make this right. As I have written, Freed is miserable here. I wish to remedy that. I cannot make a formal request in any sense of the word, but I am begging you to find a way to take him back to your guild. I love my brother, and I always have, so I cannot sit back and watch him suffer. Please come for him; he needs you more than ever. Sincerely, Christophe._

Lucy looked up from the letter, the small smile slowly growing in size as she thought over the words she had read. Over and over, she could see the love that Christophe had for his brother, and the fact that the second eldest said he was willing to give up everything for Freed to return spoke volumes of how deeply that love ran.

Mira sighed and nodded, "You're right." She looked back up at the balcony and frowned when she saw Lucy. "Um, Laxus?"

"Hm?"

"Lucy's bleeding…" Mira said softly.

Laxus' head shot up and he instantly saw the far-off look in her eyes and blood slowly pouring down from her nose. "Shit," he muttered as he stood up. Laxus reached across the bar and grabbed the rag from Mira's hand before rushing up the stairs. As soon as he got to Lucy, he pulled her away from the balcony and sat her on the floor, pressing the rag to her nose.

"What happened?" Bickslow asked while he and Evergreen got up from the table.

"She's bleeding again," Laxus growled. "I thought you guys were watching her."

"We were," Evergreen said before calling down to Mira to get them another rag.

"We thought she was just watching everyone since it's safer up here for her," Bickslow said sadly.

Laxus sighed and nodded before looking at Lucy. "Sis, come on. Can you focus on me?" he asked. Within moments, Lucy's eyes focused and he let out a long sigh while turning the rag to catch more of her blood.

"I know what to do," Lucy said with wide eyes. "Laxus, I know what to do!"

"What do you mean?" Laxus asked.

"The pieces," she whispered urgently, keeping her eyes locked on his, "They all fit now. I know how to do it. I don't know how I didn't realize it sooner, but they were all there to begin with. The letter told me everything I needed to know. I can see it all now!"

"Lucy, you're not making sense," Laxus said with furrowed brows.

"I can't tell you right now, but I will soon," Lucy said urgently. "You have to trust me though, okay?"

Laxus looked from Lucy to Bickslow, then to Evergreen. When his other teammates nodded, he looked back at Lucy and smiled. "We trust you sis. Is that why you started bleeding again?"

Lucy crossed her eyes and looked down to see a mostly bloody rag pressed to her face, then looked back at Laxus. "Yes… I'm sorry, Laxus," she whispered.

"Lucy! Laxus! What are you two doing here?" Makarov asked happily as he walked up to the Raijinshuu. "It's so nice to—what happened?" He stopped when Bickslow and Evergreen put their hands out to block his path from Laxus and Lucy, and watched as his grandson pulled a bloody rag away from the Celestial mage's face.

Lucy ignored Makarov for the time being and said, "Did it stop?" When Laxus nodded and picked up a new rag to wipe away any dried blood, Lucy said, "Evergreen can take me to the bathroom, Laxus. I'll wash up and meet you back here."

Laxus shook his head and said, "I'm not letting you out of my sight, sis." He carefully stood up when her face was completely cleaned, then handed the rags to Bickslow while he looked down at his grandfather. "Hey, Gramps. She wanted to talk to you about yesterday."

Makarov took a tentative step forward, but paused when Lucy tensed and leaned into Laxus' side. "Lucy, why don't we go to my office to talk about this?"

Lucy nodded and the group followed the old man down the hall.

Several hours later, the Raijinshuu left Makarov's office with the older mage shaking from both his tears at Lucy's words and rage at how things had been handled by the rest of the guild now that he knew the whole story. She had told him everything: what happened when Freed was taken, how she had spent more time researching than taking care of herself, her nosebleeds, sleeping next to Laxus—much to the Slayer's chagrin—and everything that had taken place the previous day. "Lucy, child…" Makarov said, wiping his tears away again, "Please accept my sincerest apologies from the guild."

Lucy turned to look at Makarov, then took a deep breath and placed her hand on his head for a moment before pulling away. "Gray understands now, Master. You can answer any of the guild's questions after we leave, but I don't want anyone coming to the house until Freed is back. I came here today for three reasons: to talk with you, to have Wendy heal me, and to choose a mission for the team to go on."

"A mission?" Laxus asked incredulously. "Are you sure you're up for it?"

Lucy nodded and said, "I know it's sudden, Laxus. I'll be able to handle myself during a mission, and won't use Freed's magic unless it's absolutely necessary." She turned to Makarov and said, "Is that alright with you, Master?"

Makarov looked at the shocked faces of her team, then to Lucy. He could see just a small glint of something that she was keeping from them, and needed to know what it was before he could grant her request. "Laxus, take Bickslow and Evergreen out to the bar so I may speak with Lucy alone for a moment."

"But, Gramps—" Laxus tried to say before being cut off by Lucy.

"Big brother," Lucy said softly, placing her hand on Laxus' arm while she looked up at him, "I'll be okay. Master knows not to touch me, I won't hurt him."

Laxus sighed and nodded, pulling Lucy into a light hug and kissing her hair before leading the rest of their team out to sit at their table.

Makarov smiled at the interaction between the two blondes, then led Lucy back into his office. Once they were both seated, with Makarov safely behind his desk and Lucy in an armchair, he cleared his throat and watched Mavis appear sitting on his desk. "Lucy, I cannot grant your request unless I know what is going on," he said solemnly.

* * *

"L-Laxus?" Gray asked carefully as he walked up the stairs with wide eyes, glancing worriedly around to see if Lucy was with them.

Laxus growled when he saw Gray, but held back any response as he stared at the Ice Make mage.

"Um… Where's Lucy at? I need to talk to her…" Gray muttered. "Mira said she came up here with you guys."

"She's talking with Master," Evergreen answered, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the scared mage.

"Alone?!" Gray nearly shouted. "She could—"

"No, Gray. You're the only one  _stupid_  enough to go against what we told you," Laxus growled. "You deserved everything she fucking did to you."

"She almost killed me!" Gray shouted. He'd come to have a talk with Lucy, especially after he had woken up the previous day and talked with Wendy and Juvia. Both women had scolded him for what he told Lucy, and even Juvia was refusing to talk to him until he made things right between them.  _She never realized that I stopped spending time with everyone else_ , he thought. With the way her team was acting, he knew he deserved it, but there was a part of him that wanted her to apologize for going overboard.  _I almost died because of her…_

"If you're gonna be an ungrateful little shit, then you don't deserve to even be in the same room as her," Bickslow muttered. "You should be thanking Laxus for saving your sorry ass."

"Huh?"

Evergreen huffed and rolled her eyes. "Laxus was the one that got through to her you idiot. I'm assuming Wendy talked to you about what happened?"

"Yeah…" Gray muttered, his anger quickly being replaced with guilt again.

"Well, then she should have told you that Laxus was the one to get Lucy to stop, and then she started bleeding out of her ears and nose and passed out from pushing herself too hard…  _again._  You're the one to blame for what happened yesterday," Evergreen hissed, standing up and being held back by Bickslow and Laxus when she tried to march over to Gray and knock some sense into him. "If you had just left when we told you to, or not pushed so hard to make her see things  _your_  way… Hell, if you hadn't tried to HUG HER, none of it would have happened. Yes, she made the choice to show you everything she would have felt instead of leaving it at an explanation, but…"

"But, she even said that based on what you told me and Ever in the hallway, you clearly needed more to understand her," Bickslow finished. "Ever's right, you brought it on yourself."

"She didn't have to go that far," Gray shot back.

"She has no sense of how far is too far if she loses track of time," Laxus said. "Gray, she can't feel a damn thing, so what makes you think she'll show someone compassion and stop herself from killing them with those spells?"

"Because Lucy's not a fucking murderer!"

"You're right," Lucy said softly as she walked up to the group with Makarov a few feet behind her. "I'm not a murderer, but I also have no mercy. It's no longer there. I lost track of time, Gray. I know that no one should be under that many spells for an hour, and I'm aware that I almost killed you. For that, and that alone, I am truly sorry." She paused long enough to place a hand in Evergreen's, seemingly getting the Fairy mage to stop moving altogether. "I do feel, Gray. Just not what you want me to. My team's presence gives me the ability to feel more than remorse." She looked at each of her teammates, a small smile on her lips before turning back to the shocked faces of both Gray and Makarov. "There is nothing more for us to say to each other, Gray. I don't know why you're up here, why you're arguing with them, but you clearly need more time to consider what happened yesterday. Please, leave us alone until Freed comes back."

"Lucy, I—"

"Gray," Lucy said slowly, closing her eyes so he could see she wasn't going to attack him, "I said to leave us alone."

Laxus frowned and turned Lucy away from Gray, then led her over to the team's table. He saw Makarov smack Gray in the back of the head before forcing him down the stairs, mumbling about 'inconsiderate bastards'. "Sis, you said you wanted to take a mission, did Gramps approve it?" Laxus asked softly.

Lucy nodded, then handed Laxus a sheet of paper. "Master gave me this when I explained why I wanted to take a mission. He's already logged it in his office, so we're cleared to go now. I summoned Virgo while I was talking with Master and she's packed a bag for each of us, and is storing it in the Spirit World until we need it."

Laxus read over the mission and cocked his head to the side while he handed it to Evergreen and Bickslow. "Pretty simple mission. Catch a group of bandits just outside of Acalypha Town. Pay's not that good. Why do you want to take this one?"

"I can't say yet," Lucy answered. "You guys need to trust me on this. As soon as I can tell you, I will. I told Master because his knowledge of my reasoning won't hurt anything. I swear, I'll explain it all once I know I'm able to."

Laxus sighed and nodded, looking over to see both Evergreen and Bickslow thinking it over and nodding their agreement as well. "Train or walking?" Evergreen asked. "It'll take us all day to get there if we walk."

Laxus grimaced at the thought of being on a train, but he knew the ride wouldn't be nearly as long or torturous since Acalypha was so close. "I'm alright with a train," he muttered, knowing that Evergreen had posed the question because of his motion sickness. "Did you wanna go now, sis?"

Lucy nodded before a loud shout was heard from downstairs.

"YOU SAID  _WHAT_  TO LUCE?!" Natsu shouted at Gray, lunging across the table with his fists on fire. "What the fuck, Gray?!"

The Raijinshuu stood up and watched from the second floor as Natsu pinned Gray to the ground and started pounding his fists into every inch of the Ice Make mage's exposed torso. "Wow," Evergreen said softly, "I didn't think anyone else would react that way."

"Well, everyone in the guild cares about her," Bickslow said. "I'm pretty sure that's why no one's trying to stop Natsu right now. Not even Erza's stepping in."

Laxus chuckled and shrugged. "He's getting what he deserves. Everyone knows she won't give up on Freed like that. Gray was an asshole for even suggesting it."

Bickslow and Evergreen nodded, and when no one heard anything from Lucy they all turned to see that she had disappeared. "Where the—"

"Goddamnit," Laxus muttered when he saw the flowing golden hair of his little sister moving towards the center of the guild, with their guildmates parting in a wide path for her to get to her target, right into the eye of the storm that was an enraged Natsu. He, along with the rest of his team rushed down the stairs, and froze as soon as they reached the edge of the circle that was surrounding Natsu, Gray, and now Lucy.

"Natsu," Lucy said softly once she was a few feet away from her former partner. He didn't seem to hear her, and just kept pummeling Gray.

"The fuck is wrong with you, Ice Prick? You know she's not a quitter!" Natsu bellowed. "Just because  _you_  feel like shit for ignoring her doesn't mean you need to push your problems onto her!"

"Natsu, stop," Lucy said a little louder. Another piece of her clicked into place and a new emotion swelled inside of her. It was one she knew well, even though it still didn't come anywhere close to the intensity she normally would have felt. One single emotion flowed through her, and Lucy felt the corners of her mouth pull into a small frown. She was angry. "NATSU DRAGNEEL, I KNOW YOU'RE NOT IGNORING ME!" Lucy shouted, stomping over to the startle Fire Dragon Slayer and pulling him roughly off of Gray. She threw him on the ground, watching as he bounced a few feet backwards on his rump and paled at the glare she levelled him with.

"L-Luce?" Natsu whispered. "You're… You're mad…"

"You're damn right I'm mad, Natsu," Lucy seethed. "You have no right to attack Gray for what happened. I took care of it myself, and nearly killed him in the process. He's still too much of an idiot to understand what exactly he did wrong, and I won't even entertain the notion of speaking to him until Freed is back, but that doesn't give you or anyone else the right to hurt him over it!"

"But—"

Lucy stalked forward, pulling Natsu up by his scarf and staring directly into his wide green eyes. "No buts, Natsu. He'll figure it out, and when he does I'll listen.  _I'm_  the one he owes an apology to. Not you, not the guild, not even my team. Me. So you all can leave him alone about it, and let him get his shit together. This guild is a family, we don't attack one another like this over disagreements. I've apologized to him for almost killing him, and when he's figured out what he needs to apologize for I know he'll do the same." Lucy roughly deposited Natsu on the ground and walked slowly over to Gray.

Gray looked up at the frown on Lucy's face and couldn't find it in himself to move away. He was scared shitless right then, much more frightened than he had been the day before when her face was completely blank and she started making him feel like a complete ass with her words alone. His eyes clamped shut and he turned his head away, waiting for her to start her torture on him all over again. When nothing happened, Gray slowly opened his eyes and turned back to see Lucy holding her hands out to him.

"Come on, Gray," Lucy said softly, grabbing his hands and helping him stand up. She looked at the stunned faces of the guild and said, "I'm not sure if what I've heard about the changes in the guild are from Freed's disappearance or what happened to me, but regardless of the reason… It needs to stop. Fairy Tail is known for being caring and kind, for taking care of one another in times of need, and for unconditionally loving everyone. There is only one person to blame for what's happened, and that is Freed's father. No one in this guild is responsible, and no one should have to bear the weight of everyone else's scorn for things not being the way you want them to be."

Gray let Lucy lead him to where Juvia was standing, then watched in amazement as he saw a small part of who Lucy was before start shining through her mostly blank face, the frown she'd had before having completely disappeared during the short walk over to his girlfriend. Once he was stable and leaning against Juvia, Lucy walked back over to her own team, taking both Evergreen's and Bickslow's hands while Laxus' rested on her shoulders. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening them again to look around at every occupant in the guildhall.

"It's come to my attention that you all have wondered why I haven't come to the guild, why no one was allowed in the house, and why I attacked Gray. Master has the answers to all of these questions, and he is willing to answer your questions after my team and I have left. I will tell you this: You betrayed the trust I should have in all of you by acting as if Freed is dead. You pity me, and that does absolutely nothing to help the situation. You blame my team for the way I am right now, even though none of you have seen what they have to go through. How many of you have tried to help me, aside from Levy?"

The guild was silent.

"Exactly. You say you care for me, and want me to be better, but you have done nothing but place the blame on the three people that make an effort to help me. Even when I make them miserable, they have stayed by my side to help in any way they can. In comparison to them, based on actions alone, you all might as well be strangers to me." Lucy took another deep breath, drawing nothing but the emotions from her teammates into her to replace the anger that was trying to swell inside of her. "None of you will see me again until Freed is back. If you want to help me at this point, you'll leave me alone," Lucy stated. "My team knows what I need, how I am right now. They understand what they can and can't do. I won't waste my time dealing with more people, explaining why things are like this. You will leave me alone, if you truly care for me."

Laxus lightly squeezed Lucy's shoulders, then leaned down to whisper, "That's enough, sis. Let's get going." He couldn't believe that the anger from Lucy earlier had nearly scorched his nostrils with its intensity, but the fact that she had not only stopped a very one-sided fight between Natsu and Gray, then helped the asshole get up blew his mind. He fully understood that Lucy needed to explain a few things to the guild, and he was proud that she had come back to them to keep her new emotion in check while she spoke. Lucy was drawing strength from the ones she loved, forcing herself to feel what she needed to—safety, happiness, and hope—instead of drowning in the anger inside of her like she had done the day before with her remorse. "Come on, sis," he whispered when she made no move to walk out of the guild.

Lucy broke free from her thoughts, and nodded before she led her team outside and towards the train station. "I'm happy to have you guys," she whispered when they were halfway there.

"Happy to help," Bickslow said with a grin.

"Help! Help!" his totems chirped, their own voices sounding a little happier than they had as of late.

Once they reached the train station, Lucy sat down with Bickslow and Evergreen on a bench while Laxus went to buy their tickets. Once Laxus was far enough away, Lucy pulled a small slip of paper out of her pocket and pressed it into Bickslow's hand. She watched him open it up with confusion on his face, and once he read it he looked back at her in shock. Lucy only nodded, then when he tried to talk to her, she placed a finger to her mouth so he would stay silent.

 _What the hell is she thinking?!,_  Bickslow thought as he read the note again.

Lucy pulled out a pen and flipped the paper over, then wrote a single word.  _"Please."_

Bickslow's eyes widened. She was begging him. He raised his head and nodded, then tore the paper into tiny pieces and went to throw it away before Laxus came back.

They only had to wait a few more minutes before their train was called, and the four mages used Laxus' intense glare and intimidating presence in general to snag their own private compartment. Lucy and Laxus sat down on one bench, with his head already in her lap and a scowl on his face, while Bickslow and Evergreen sat across from them. Once the train started moving, Lucy nodded to Bickslow and noticed that both Laxus and Evergreen stiffened when he took off his visor.

"Laxus, man…" Bickslow muttered. "Please don't kill me…" He turned to look directly into Lucy's eyes, and activated his magic, softly whispering, "Figure Eyes."

"What the hell!" Laxus nearly shouted, trying to sit up and make Bickslow stop using his magic on Lucy until a giant wave of nausea washed over him. Laxus fell back down into his sister's lap, and looked up at her completely blank face.

"Bickslow," Evergreen shouted, "What are you doing?!"

"She asked me to do it," Bickslow said while maintaining his focus on Lucy, the glow from his eyes filling the compartment they were in. "She didn't say why, but she begged me to do it once the train started moving."

"That… doesn't make… sense," Laxus said, his words broken up only by his attempts to sit up again and not vomit everywhere with the way the train was jostling him around.

"I know," Bickslow said with a frown. "She told me not to think about it, that I had to trust her. That's what I'm doing."

Evergreen sighed and looked over at Lucy, watching as the odd green glow of Bickslow's magic surrounded her like a halo.  _I don't understand what's happening,_  she thought. "She asked all of us to trust her this morning," Evergreen whispered, "And we all said we would. I guess it's time to prove it."

Laxus finally stopped fighting, and dropped to Lucy's lap again, sighing in his frustration while he nestled his face against her stomach. After several deep inhales of her scent, his nausea finally died down enough for him to say, "Sis, you owe us a serious fucking explanation after this."

They all sat in silence until the announcement came over the train's speakers that they had arrived in Acalypha. As soon as Bickslow heard it, he cut off his magic and Lucy instantly returned to herself.

"Thank you, Bickslow," she said with a soft smile. "It seems I was right."

They walked off of the train in complete silence, making their way to the mayor's office to get a briefing on the job. It was a pretty clear-cut request, and they didn't have any trouble finding the small group of bandits or disabling them, since Laxus just immediately shocked all six of the men until they were unconscious. While Virgo was tying them all up, he rounded on Lucy and glared at her. "Mind telling us what the hell we're doing out here now? And why you had Bix use his magic on you?"

Lucy saw the anger radiating off of Laxus, and smiled softly before wrapping her arms around his waist. He sighed and wrapped his own arms around her shoulders, muttering under his breath that he couldn't stay mad at her when she was hugging him. "I know how to get him back, but we had to get out of Magnolia before I could say anything."

"Whaddya mean?" Bickslow asked while they dragged the bandits back to town.

"I asked you to use your Figure Eyes on me so that my intention of leaving Magnolia to save Freed wouldn't stop me when we passed the runes," Lucy said with a smile. "That's why I asked you this morning if your magic would block out someone's consciousness. You were right, I could hardly think… but that's exactly what we needed if I was to get past Eden's runes."

Laxus chuckled and shook his head, then said, "That's why you wouldn't tell us what was going on? So we would be oblivious to it until we were past her runes?"

Lucy nodded and laid her head on his shoulder. "Your intention was to take a mission to Acalypha. While that was also my intention, my main reason for leaving was to make our way to Freed." Lucy pulled out a piece of paper from her pocket, and added, "In one week, we'll be taking this mission. Master's already approved it, and found it based on my specifications while we were talking. It's simple, but it will give us a reason to be in the area and will put us very close to his father's estate."

"Why a week?" Evergreen asked softly.

"Because over the next week, I'll be reading the books Bix bought along with the information from Crux. Virgo reminded me that I haven't been using my Gale Force reading glasses, so it won't take nearly as long to get through the material and I'll be able to take it one book at a time," Lucy replied. "In one week, we're getting him back."


	13. The Plan

Lucy stopped dead in her tracks during their trek back to the client's home when she felt her keys warming up against her, then laid a hand gently over them while she stared at the ground.

"Lucy?" Evergreen asked softly when she saw the blonde had stopped walking. "Is everything okay?"

Lucy looked up with wide eyes, and a smile on her face. "Yes," she said happily before quickly schooling her expression into a more somber one. "Can we visit my parent's graves after we turn in the mission?"

"Of course, sis," Laxus said softly. "Let's get these guys taken care of, and we'll take you down there."

The Raijinshuu followed Lucy to the cemetery as soon as they had turned the bandits over to the authorities and collected the meager reward. Once they were in front of the graves, Lucy looked sadly at the two headstones for a moment, then turned back to the group. She felt a small pull on her magic and watched as Capricorn appeared with a hand crossed over his chest. "Hello, Capricorn. Is there something you need?"

"Yes, Lady Lucy. We have discovered a way for you to complete your goal, and are willing to give you everything you will need to get Freed away from his father," Capricorn said with a smile.  _There's no reason to keep it from her any longer, I can see that now._

"Did Crux find anything else?" Lucy asked as she looked at the folder in Capricorn's hand.

"My apologies, Lady Lucy. Crux was not able to find any information aside from what he already gave you. Virgo has informed me that you have yet to read through it, so I have brought it with me along with the newest piece of information you'll need for this to work."

Laxus' eyes widened, and when he looked at the other two mages with him, he saw that their faces were the same. "So, once we read through that we can go and get him?" Laxus asked.

"Well, Cosplayer still needs to read through those books too," Bickslow added.

Capricorn nodded. "Yes. Read through everything here, and then summon me so we may discuss the best course of action for your plan, Lady Lucy. Afterwards, I would suggest also reading the books as pointed out by your companion." He handed Lucy the folder, and before he left added, "Do not inform  _anyone_  of what has been found. Not even your guildmaster. We will make sure everything is handled properly, but we cannot be too careful." Capricorn looked at each of the four mages, and when they all nodded he disappeared.

"Well, let's get a hotel room and check it out!" Evergreen chirped.

"No," Lucy whispered. She looked up from the folder at her friends and said, "Capricorn said we need to be careful, and going into town right now will alert anyone that is keeping an eye out for us of our whereabouts. Christophe said in the letter that Mr. Justine is willing to make an example out of me, so we need to assume there's someone watching us right now. I came here to visit my parents' graves, and that is just what I'll do." She smiled sadly at her friends, then sat down on the snow-covered ground facing the graves and opened the folder to begin reading.

"Cosplayer, should we help you or…" Bickslow asked carefully.

Laxus looked down at Lucy, then glanced around the cemetery. "No," he said softly. "If she had come here to mourn, we wouldn't be huddled around her. Everyone needs to act like that's what's going on. We'll keep an eye out for anything suspicious."

Lucy looked up at Laxus, then to Evergreen and Bickslow, and nodded. "He's right. It's best to make this appear as normal as possible in case someone is watching. I'll let you know when I'm finished," Lucy said with a soft smile, then turned back to the papers in her hands.

It took thirty minutes for Lucy to get through every piece of information she had been given with the help of her Gale Force reading glasses. She had pulled a pen from the pocket of her jacket and marked the pages for important information. In the back of the folder, there was an envelope. She carefully opened it and looked inside to see a packet of paperwork. Once she pulled it out and skimmed over the first page, she realized exactly what it was—a contract. Lucy turned to the last page and saw the four required signatures, then put the contract back in the envelope. She tucked the folder into her jacket, then stood up and summoned Capricorn. As he appeared, Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow came back to stand by her sides.

"You have read it all?" Capricorn asked softly.

"Yes."

"And you understand what you have to do?"

"I do."

The goat spirit smiled down at Lucy and asked, "The question is: are you willing to do it? We did not want to take this choice from you."

Lucy met Capricorn's eyes and nodded with a soft smile. "I always was, Capricorn."

"Very well," Capricorn said, clearing his throat and returning to his usual stoic self. "You all need to go to Onibus and get a room for the night, then begin reading the books Crux told you about. I will take a copy of the contract you have to Makarov, and a spare for the Magic Council, with orders to open it and send the copy out  _only_  if I appear to him again. Aquarius is holding the original in the Spirit World just in case."

"I've arranged a mission for later in the week so we have a reason to be in the area," Lucy added. "I'll be calling Hisui tonight once we're in Onibus to see if she can help to arrange a meeting with Mr. Justine."

Capricorn nodded with a proud smile.

"Virgo will make sure we have everything we need for the meeting?" Lucy asked. "I'll need makeup to cover my guild mark, and Evergreen will need a dress that covers hers. I'll also make sure Hisui doesn't disclose our guild affiliation or the reason for the meeting if she can set it up."

"Of course, Lady Lucy. Once you are ready, please write out the two documents you will need. Summon myself or Crux if you need assistance with them," Capricorn said softly. He bowed to Lucy then smiled at her three confused companions before disappearing.

"Uh, little sis?" Laxus asked as they walked back to the train station. "Wanna tell us what just happened?"

"Yes, Laxus. Once we're on the train where no one can hear me," she whispered just loud enough for him to hear. They were able to catch the last direct route to Onibus, and found a compartment. Once they were all inside, Lucy imagined a barrier that let no sound out of it wrapping around their compartment alone.  _Silence,_  she thought and felt the barrier surround them. "Alright, what would you like to know?"

"What is Capricorn talking about?" Evergreen asked.

"What did you mean we're gonna meet with Freed's dad?" Bickslow asked.

Laxus just sat back and waited, letting Lucy's fingers dance across his scalp while he laid in her lap with his nose nestled against her stomach.

Lucy nodded at her friends' questions and began telling them the plan she had come up with along with the information she had been given. She only left out the contract that was in the envelope.  _I don't plan on using it if I don't have to,_  she thought.

"Are you sure it'll work?" Evergreen asked cautiously. "Freed knows his dad pretty well, I would think that he'd be right about this…"

Laxus shook his head and said, "No, he's too close to see that there's another way to go about it."

"Okay, but how will we know where Freed's at if we're busy in a meeting with his dad?" Bickslow asked.

"Mr. Justine will want to teach all three of his sons—especially Freed—just how business meetings should be handled, especially if I'm able to have Hisui arrange the meeting herself since she's royalty. Freed has been away for a long time, so he'll be forced to attend every meeting his father has to make sure he knows what is expected of him when he takes over the business," Lucy answered. "The other two will be there because they are still expected to understand how to conduct business meetings, even if they are not the next in succession. Should something happen to Freed, and if he doesn't have an heir himself, then Christophe will take his place, and Avery after him."

"Did you go to your dad's business meetings a lot?" Evergreen asked softly.

"No. I was too young to be allowed at the meetings," Lucy said as she looked out the window. "Also, women have no place in them aside from standing behind their husbands and looking pretty."

Everyone else in the compartment sneered or snorted derisively at the older and more traditional ways used by high society. Laxus looked at Lucy for a minute, then said, "You never told us who this emissary is supposed to be."

Lucy looked back at Laxus and smiled softly as she said, "Me."

If Lucy had been capable of truly joking right then, everyone would have laughed. Not because they didn't think she was capable of handling the situation—they all knew she was the most qualified to speak to a snob like Freed's dad. What would have made them laugh is the fact that she had just told them that women have no power in those meetings, but she expected to hold some sort of power while speaking with Mr. Justine. Everyone's jaws dropped as Lucy looked back out the window towards the darkening horizon.

"If it was any other situation, Laxus would clearly be the best choice because of his status as the next guildmaster; however, my upbringing gives me an advantage. I know how Mr. Justine will act and react to anything I do or say, and can plan accordingly while using the same language and actions that someone from high society would use. I will have to act the way I always hated acting while we're there. Which means I'll be more like the emotionless person I was when Freed was taken," Lucy said in answer to their unasked questions. "The three of you will be dressed as you usually would: it will be a little more expensive looking, but you won't be uncomfortable. I'll have to show Mr. Justine what my class ranking is in comparison to the rest of you based on my lineage so that he sees me as the one in control of the meeting in regards to the guild. He'll still most likely try to address either Laxus or Bickslow and avoid me, but your job is to be my guards. Keep an eye out for anything suspicious while we're in the meeting without looking tense or like you're looking for something to happen." Lucy paused, then turned to Bickslow. "Bix, you'll keep your helmet on so your eyes won't be visible. It'll give you a better opportunity to look around openly. Plus, the addition of your babies will give us even more eyes to scope out any possible issues."

Bickslow nodded with a wide grin. "Glad you didn't forget about them," he said happily.

"Yay, Lucy!" the totems chirped, twirling around the compartment and making everyone present laugh.

"Ever, no one will look at you because you're a woman. Unless they're leering at your assets. So, you'll be able to look around easily as well. All you have to do is appear to be an idiot, and they'll instantly believe it because you're a woman," Lucy said as she looked at Evergreen.

Evergreen nodded. She didn't like the thought of being dismissed just because she wasn't a man, but it seemed that it would work in her favor for the time being. "I just hope it goes smoothly…"

Lucy turned to look at Laxus for a minute, then said, "Laxus, you only need to be yourself and control your magic."

"Whaddya mean, sis?"

"Be an asshole." Lucy paused and smiled down at him while Evergreen and Bickslow laughed, then continued. "You have a dominant personality, and he'll see you as a challenger to his own role as the leader. Ignore any comments he, or anyone else, might make. No matter how rude they may be. You'll need to control your magic in the event he does something to upset you, because any use of your magic could be seen as a threat. If it's self-defense, or to protect one of us, then I'll be able to talk my way around it in case he has an issue. You'll have to show Mr. Justine that you can be submissive to stroke his ego. It will upset him at the same time, because he'll think that you're being submissive to him until he realizes that he's wrong."

"So who am I—It's you, isn't it…" Laxus said while rolling his eyes. This would have been one of those times where Lucy's million Jewel smile came out, and she would nod happily. That didn't happen in nearly as much intensity as it should have, but he could see that it was still coming back to her in a steady stream.

"Yes," Lucy said with a wider smile and a nod. "You'll stand behind me as my own personal guard. I won't ask anything of you during the meeting, unless it's important. Your job is to use your heightened senses—especially smell—to keep an eye on the reactions of everyone in the room."

Laxus finally nodded and smirked at her. "So, I just have to be your big brother."

"Pretty much," Lucy whispered. She looked around at each of her friends and said, "I'll be sure to introduce each of you when the time comes and he realizes who we are, but no one will say a word to him otherwise. It's time to go over etiquette before we arrive in town. Once we're in the hotel, I have some documents to write up."

"Don't forget we have to eat dinner," Evergreen added. "You'll need your strength in case something goes wrong tomorrow."

Lucy looked at Evergreen and nodded, then started explaining everything they would need to know for the day of the meeting.

* * *

_Dear Christophe: I have received your letter, and my team and I have taken your request to heart. We will be completing it in less than one week, and I hope to see you there. Please do what you can to alleviate his concerns, but do not tell him of the plan. I swear to do everything in my power to help you achieve this goal, and I will discuss your part in the original scheme of things when we finally meet. We are taking every precaution necessary to avoid unwanted detection, so hopefully things will run smoothly. Please be safe, Christophe. I wish no harm to come to you for this request. Sincerely, X. (P.S. Please destroy this letter once you have read it.)_

Christophe's breath caught in his throat when he read those words. It was his final day working in his apprenticeship for the week, and he had almost missed the letter that was clearly addressed to him. The fact that this mystery woman had gleaned enough information from his original letter and her own knowledge of their family to send it to the appropriate place—a business that was a town away from his father's estate, and where he was currently working—along with how she had given only enough information for him to know what she was talking about gave him a true sense of hope that she would be successful. The request he could possibly have sent out could be any number of things, and she had been sure to write it without using the secret coded language that he and his brothers used during their youth in the event that someone else (like Freed or Avery) found it. Freed would instantly know it was her, and she seemed to want to keep him in the dark concerning his rescue. Avery would probably think it was some sort of prank, since he wasn't exactly the most perceptive person. By writing it normally, it gave further credence to some form of correspondence between himself and a business associate.

There were only two clues to let him know that this was the woman he had written to. The first was a small Fairy Tail insignia that had been drawn in the bottom corner of the envelope and paper she had written on. The second was a little more difficult for him to see: on the inside of the envelope was a small message that was written in the coded language that read,  _"My name is Lucy, by the way."_  When Christophe had overheard Freed's conversation with Mara, he heard the name of the woman Freed fell in love with before Mara had gotten worried about something; their conversation had become hushed after that, and Christophe ended up interrupting them when he figured that Mara was about to leave the room.  _She's coming for him,_  Christophe thought with a smile,  _Freed has truly found an equal in this life._

Christophe tore the letter and envelope into small pieces and set them off to the side so he could dispose of them once he left to go back to his father's estate, then the communications lacrima on his desk lit up. He answered it quickly and let a small smile out when he saw Freed on the other side. "How can I assist you, Freed?" he asked.

"Father would like to know at what point you will be returning," Freed said with his usual stoic tone.

"I will be leaving within the next few hours," Christophe answered, his smile faltering when he saw how upset Freed looked and a small bruise adorning his jaw that was mostly hidden by his hair. After really taking in the image on the lacrima he could see the red rims around Freed's slightly puffy eyes as evidence of recent tears, a slight quiver to Freed's lip and an almost perfectly hidden pained expression as though he was fighting against letting Christophe see the result of his recent abuse, along with rows upon rows of books in the background that let him know Freed was in the library again. "Freed," he said softly, "Is everything alright?"

Freed shook his head, though he tried to keep his emotions in check. "No, Christophe."

"What happened? Did he do this to you?"

Freed sighed and said, "Avery got in trouble again, so I tried to help him. Father didn't do too much damage when he came after me, but Avery…" He took a shuddering breath, then continued. "Avery had to deal with more because of my interference. And afterwards, he turned on me himself for making things worse."

Christophe frowned and said, "But you've always intervened when that happens. For both of us…" He shook his head and stood up quickly, then said, "I'm on my way back now. I can finish my work some other time. Stay in the library until I return, and you and I can discuss what's happening. Is that why you're upset? Because of what happened with Avery?"

Freed shook his head and chuckled sadly. "It has nothing to do with Avery. It's the same as before you left. There is no need to worry about me, Christophe. I can take care of myself."

"Regardless of the reason, I'm coming back," Christophe said firmly. "We can sit in silence if you'd like, but I would like to be there for you if you need someone to talk to about this."

Freed sighed and nodded, then let his mask break for the briefest of moments to smile at his brother. "Thank you, Christophe."

Christophe smiled back at Freed and nodded. Just before they cut off the lacrima, he said, "Why did father want to know when I was returning?"

"He has a meeting that he wishes us to attend in two days' time at noon," Freed said. "I do not know much about it, but he did say that the Princess herself requested the meeting and would be sending a small group to negotiate some sort of business with him."

Christophe's eyes widened in shock and he whispered, "The Princess? As in the King of Fiore's daughter?"

Freed chuckled and nodded. "Yes, that was the same expression he had when he informed Avery and myself of the meeting."

After another minute of conversation, they finally disconnected and Christophe was able to look at the remnants of the letter Lucy had sent to him.  _That must be them,_  he thought.  _Noon, two days from now, they'll be coming to take Freed back where he belongs—his home with them._  Christophe's happiness concerning the meeting was diminished as he considered what happened with Avery.

Something had changed recently concerning Avery, and it worried Christophe that he couldn't put his finger on what exactly it was. When they had originally discussed bringing Freed home, their father had really only talked to his sons as a means of gaining support from the family for his decision. That was where Christophe had left it: his support to return Freed. Avery, however, seemed to have much more involvement in the scheme, and had several meetings with their father during those first few weeks that lasted hours. Sometimes, Christophe had been able to overhear bits and pieces of their conversations in passing, but it was usually something along the lines of "hiring mages" or "it's the only way"; there was never anything concrete for him to go on, and he could never tell whose voice he had heard. Avery had seemed more than excited to have Freed back in the house, and Christophe assumed that it was because he missed their eldest brother; however, with the little information he'd just gotten from Freed, it seemed as though there was something that Avery wasn't telling them.

Christophe gathered the destroyed letter and placed it into the bin that was meant for confidential documents that needed shredding as he made his way out of the office. His mind whirled with the possibilities of what had come over Avery, and of course how the reunion between Freed and Lucy would pan out in two days.

* * *

"You ready for tomorrow?" Laxus asked softly while his fingers absently threaded through Lucy's hair. He glanced over at the other bed in the room and smirked when he saw Bickslow and Evergreen cuddling again while they slept.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Laxus," she whispered, cuddling closer to the broad expanse of her big brother's chest while they tried to go to sleep.

"And everything's set up?"

Lucy nodded with a soft smile. "Hisui arranged the meeting with Mr. Justine under the pretense that there is a matter of great interest to her that needs to be discussed." Lucy giggled lightly as she continued. "She said he nearly had a heart attack when she contacted him. He was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be meeting with her directly, but she told him that she was having a group of mages coming to visit in her place that she trusted with this matter. The meeting's at noon, and Hisui assures me that Freed will be in attendance. I guess when she asked if he was going to meetings with his father, Mr. Justine thought that she might be interested in him as a suitor."

Laxus rolled his eyes and said, "Yeah right. Freed's only got eyes for one girl." He lightly squeezed Lucy's shoulders before moving his fingers through her hair again.

"Do you think it will work, Laxus?" Lucy asked softly. "Do you really think I'll be able to get him back?"

"Of course you will, sis," Laxus whispered. "If talking doesn't work, then we'll take him by force. We didn't come this far to fail the two of you. We're bringing him home with us, and he's staying there."

"We can't take him by force, Laxus," Lucy sighed.

"Sure we can," Laxus grinned, then lifted a hand to Lucy's chin and pushed her face up to look into her eyes. "It's kind of what Fairy Tail does best. You know that."

Lucy giggled, biting her lip to stifle her laughter as best as possible. "You're right. I guess I forgot how insane our guild is," she said with a bright smile.

Laxus' eyes softened when he saw her smile. Everything was almost completely back, and Lucy had even told them that she was feeling much better. According to her description of what was happening with her emotions, the well inside of her was about seventy-five percent full. While the Raijinshuu hadn't understood what she meant at first, Bickslow looked at her soul and confirmed that it was filling back in at a steady pace over the past week, and there was only a quarter of it that was still missing from the center. "I've missed that smile, sis," he whispered when Lucy laid her head back down on his chest.

"I've missed feeling this way, Laxus," she whispered back. After a few silent minutes, she said, "Hey… do me a favor, okay?"

Laxus grunted in response.

"Don't make fun of me tomorrow when you see what I'm wearing…"

He chuckled and shook his head, then said, "Why would I do that?"

Lucy sighed and closed her eyes. "You'll see… Goodnight, big brother."

"Goodnight, sis," Laxus whispered, leaning down to kiss her hair one last time before they drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Freed woke up the next morning the same way as he had done for the past three weeks: sitting up quickly and looking for the one person that could bring a smile to his face. Lucy. Every morning, he had to remind himself that she wasn't there, that he was the one to blame for being separated from her, and that he would never see her again. He looked at the clock and saw that it was only 6:30. He was about to lie back down to try and relax for another thirty minutes when a small envelope on his nightstand caught his eye. Freed furrowed his brow and carefully picked it up. The envelope was addressed to him, but the writing was unfamiliar. He opened the envelope and pulled out the contents.

The first was a small note:  _Freed, be prepared for an eventful day._

Freed looked curiously at the paper, turning it over to see if anything else was written. There was nothing. His curiosity was piqued, so he pulled out the next and last item in the envelope, and instantly dropped it to the bed. The photograph slowly floated down to the bedspread, landing so that he could still see the picture. With shaking hands, Freed picked the photograph back up and looked longingly at it.  _Lucy…_  It was their first picture together. Just after they had kissed while they played the piano. There were only two copies of it: one was on his dresser at home, and the other had been given to Lucy's spirits in a small photo album. Freed felt the tears trickling down as he looked at her smiling face. He had been forced to only see her in his memories since he left, and the single picture he'd kept in his jacket of her, and now… There was a picture of the happiness they had shared. He could see the love she had for him shining in her eyes, and the way it reflected in his gaze back at her.

Freed turned the picture over, hoping there was some clue as to what the message had meant. In the same handwriting from the note, there was another message on the picture:  _She'll see you at noon._  For the first time since Christmas, Freed smiled; a wide and truly ecstatic grin spread across his face. He would get to see her again.  _The meeting today is at noon! She's bringing our team! Oh, Lucy…,_  he thought excitedly. His hopes that she had been set free had come true. They hadn't harmed her after he had been knocked out. Dread filled him instantly when he realized that Lucy was coming to take him away, but there was nothing he could do about it.  _Surely they won't hurt her…_  He jumped out of his bed and quickly tucked the picture into the inner pocket of his jacket, making sure it was completely hidden. His heart was pounding in anticipation of the day to come, and he turned on the water for the shower, then stepped under the still warming spray. He knew that he would have to hold his mask in place until he saw her, and decided that he would allow his smile to stay until he left his room.  _I just hope this isn't goodbye…_

* * *

"Is everyone ready?" Laxus asked, adjusting his coat slightly. He looked around the room they had all shared the night before and felt how tense two out of the three other mages were.  _I just hope this works… For everyone's sake,_ he thought sadly.

Evergreen nodded as she walked over to the door to put on her coat. Virgo had brought her a long-sleeve turtleneck mini dress in her favorite shade of green. She had a darker green pea-coat over it and knee-high green boots, and her hair was falling in soft waves over her shoulders.

Bickslow was wearing a newer pinstriped top, and long light blue skirt that extended to his ankles, a metal belt, and black pointed shoes. His visor had been exchanged for a similar helmet that allowed the center of his Mohawk to stick out, and he had a black cloak over his shoulders. "I'm ready when you are," he said solemnly. Lucy had told him to keep his tongue in his mouth so that no one would see which guild they were from. They heard the door to the bathroom open, and everyone looked over to see if Lucy was finally ready.

Laxus' jaw dropped when she walked out. Lucy was absolutely stunning, and looked as if she and Freed were really bred from the same class. It was the exact opposite of what Laxus thought of when it came to her. She was wearing a ruby red gown with a corseted bodice and three-quarter length sleeves. The tops of her breasts were visible, only because of the size of her chest, but they were slightly hidden by the fine white lace that surrounded the neckline and up onto her shoulders. The sleeves had a matching white lace around the ends that hug halfway down her forearms. The skirt was the same red material, but swelled out in a graceful silhouette with the assistance of a hoop skirt underneath. Lucy's hair was pulled up and pinned into a delicate bun with small ruby accented pins adorning it, and there were two wisps of her hair hanging down to frame her face. Lucy's eye patch and scar were fully visible, but they did nothing to detract from her beauty. There were small ruby and diamond teardrop earrings glimmering in the light of the room, and a matching necklace across her collar bones. "Wow, sis…"

Lucy looked over at Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow and blushed slightly with a sheepish smile. "I'm ready to go. I had forgotten how long it takes to put these clothes on."

"Damn, Cosplayer," Bickslow whispered.

Evergreen smiled softly and said, "Lulu, you look amazing."

Lucy's blush deepened as she looked down at herself. "Well, I would have preferred to wear something less… extravagant, but Capricorn said I need to assert my own lineage along with my place as an emissary for the monarchy."

Laxus shook away his shock and grinned, walking over to Lucy to place his hand gently on her back. "You look great, Lucy," he said softly. "I'm pretty sure Freed's gonna lose his mind when he sees you like this."

Lucy giggled as she walked over to the door and slipped on the pair of red heels that Virgo had brought for her, then pulled on her red coat and led the way out the door. Lucy looked down at the new bracelet she had been given, and smiled. During their morning conversation with Capricorn, he had given her the bracelet to hold onto her keys, whip, and Freed's sword (but only until it was returned to him). It looked like a dainty silver charm bracelet, but each of the charms was a smaller version of one of her keys, and her whip sat in the center with the sword right next to it. The functionality was similar to Requip magic, except she simply had to touch the desired key and summon as normal. The whip and sword were the only charms that would actually take a moment to appear in her hand. "Alright, does everyone remember what they need to do?" she asked.

Laxus nodded with a smirk, and said, "Be your big brother."

"Keep my tongue in my mouth, and keep an eye out with my babies," Bickslow added.

"Pretend to be a dumb blonde," Evergreen laughed.

Lucy smiled at each of them, giggling lightly at Evergreen's response, then said, "And, now it's time for me to get into character." When they all looked at her for a moment, she shut down every single emotion in her face, giving them only a blank stare, and her posture straightened even more than it was forced to while she wore a corset. Her hands daintily crossed over one another in front of her skirt, and her chin moved just a little bit higher than usual to add to her aristocratic demeanor.

"That's fucking creepy," Bickslow muttered.

"Seriously," Evergreen said back.

Laxus frowned and shook his head. "I don't like seeing you like this, sis. Reminds me of when we first lost him…"

"I know, Laxus," Lucy answered in a monotone voice. She relaxed for just a moment when everyone stiffened and smiled softly at them, letting her voice return to normal while she spoke. "Don't worry, I'm still okay. Just pretend I'm ten Freeds all in one!"

Bickslow, Evergreen, and Laxus shuddered and shook their heads. "No thanks," Laxus said with a smirk. "We'll just suck it up and pretend this is normal as can be. As soon as we get him back, I wanna see you smiling though, you hear me?"

"Of course, Laxus," Lucy whispered before putting her blank mask back in place and preparing to speak as if she was emotionless.  _Emotions are a sign of weakness in high society,_  she thought,  _I have to do this, no matter how much I dislike it._

The group walked in silence for ten minutes before arriving at the solid and intimidating gates of the Justine Estate. Everyone finally saw just how much money Freed had come from, and Lucy noted that the estate itself seemed to be at least twice as large as the Heartfilia Konzern. Laxus opened the gate and Lucy led the way through it toward the front door. Her hand passed over Horologium's key and she realized that they were fifteen minutes early.  _Right on time,_  she thought. Lucy nodded to Laxus, her indifferent mask firmly in place, and he moved to stand in front of her and lifted the heavy knocker on the large door. Within two minutes, the door was answered by an old butler.

"How may I assist you?" he asked, looking right at Laxus with disdain.

"My team and I are escorting the emissary that is scheduled to meet with Mr. Justine," Laxus said firmly. He hated talking this way, and he finally understood why Lucy had despised it to begin with. She was much more carefree before everything that had happened, and it was a wonder that she was even able to survive in the stifling high society atmosphere for as long as she did.

"I see," the butler grumbled, eying Laxus, then the only other visible companions—Evergreen and Bickslow—with confusion and more disdain. "Where is your emissary? Clearly, none of you are him."

Laxus smirked.  _She was right. They assumed it was a man._  He carefully stepped to the side and allowed Lucy to step forward before he took his place behind her.

"Surely you must be joking," the butler sneered as he looked at the woman with a scar running across her face and an eye patch. She was dressed as any lady should be, but she was also clearly beneath the Justines based on her face and the company she kept.

Laxus sighed internally at the older man's words.  _Lucy referenced that movie when Freed said the same thing…_  His smirk stayed in place, and he had to fight the widening in his eyes when Lucy finally spoke.

Lucy lifted her head, tilting her chin just a little higher than normal and said, "Please extend my sincerest apologies to your master for not having more prudence in requesting this meeting. It is of the utmost urgency that I speak with him on behalf of Princess Hisui, and I do believe that standing in the doorway to his fine estate will only delay your master's plans for the rest of the day." Her voice was monotone—which was something that had completely disappeared over the past week as she gained more of her emotions—and she saw a great deal of surprise flash across the butler's face when she started to speak. When he stood there still staring at her, Lucy's eyes flashed with recognition when the barest glimpse of green passed by the front door in disappeared behind a wall. "Is there a more capable servant to assist me, or will you allow us to enter from the cold? I find it hard to believe that your master would employ such idiocy."

The butler stuttered at how the young, scarred woman spoke to him and backed up, ushering the group inside. The group refused his offer to take their coats, then he said, "P-Please, follow me." He quickly led them down the same hallway that the green flash Lucy had caught had taken, then stopped in front of a pair of double doors. "I shall announce you, madam. What shall I call you?" he asked feebly.

"My name is of no importance," Lucy stated. "Mr. Justine is expecting me."

"Of course," the butler said with a short bow before disappearing behind the doors.

"Shit, sis," Laxus whispered. He leaned forward and carefully removed Lucy's jacket, then folded it and draped it over his arm.

"Seriously, you're kinda scary like this," Bickslow added with a smirk.

Lucy turned and gave them a playful wink before returning her face to the stoic mask of high society. "Stay focused," she whispered.

A moment later the door opened wide and the butler ushered Lucy and the Raijinshuu inside.

Lucy quickly took in the large office they walked into. Frances Martens Justine III was sitting in a large wingback chair at an impressive mahogany desk, an impassive look on his face; although, Lucy did notice him take in her appearance, along with the rest of her team's, slightly surprised. To his right stood the man Lucy was there to save, the one person that could take away the last bit of emptiness inside of her, staring at her with wide and hungry eyes that raked up and down her body and a small smile on his lips that she knew he was fighting to hide. To Mr. Justine's left were Freed's brothers, Christophe directly next to their father with the same impassive look, and Avery on the end whose eyes widened in shock when he looked at her. Something seemed off about what she was seeing, but Lucy couldn't tell what it was. Lucy stood directly in front of the desk and met Mr. Justine's eyes to show that they were equals before she curtseyed. "Mr. Justine, it is an honor to make your acquaintance along with the acquaintance of your propriety," Lucy said as she stood up to her full height.

"And yours, madam. Please, have a seat," he responded with a small bow.

Lucy took her seat, the only armchair in front of the desk, and never allowed her perfect posture to falter. She noticed Laxus behind her with Bickslow on his right and Evergreen on his left. "Princess Hisui would like me to inform you that you have her deepest appreciation for accepting this request for a meeting on such short notice. I know it is sudden," Lucy said as she looked into the man's eyes.

Mr. Justine watched the door close as the nosy butler left, then sighed and leaned back in his chair. "What can I help you with Miss…"

"Lucy, sir. Lucy Heartfilia." She paused and gestured to each of her teammates and said, "This is Bickslow, Evergreen, and the grandson and next guildmaster of Fairy Tail, Laxus Dreyar."

Mr. Justine's eyes widened marginally before he regained his composure. "I see," he mused. "And what business might the princess have with me that she would need to send you in her stead, Mr. Dreyar?"

Laxus raised an eyebrow at the man's clear dismissal of Lucy in favor of speaking with a man, and stayed completely silent while he tried to suppress an agitated growl.

"It is common courtesy to answer someone when they speak to you," Mr. Justine said firmly, looking into Laxus' eyes while trying to intimidate the hulking man.

"He will not speak to you, Mr. Justine," Lucy said.

"And why might that be?"

"Because I have ordered him not to. You will discuss the matter we are here for today with me, and me alone. I am the one that was sent to speak with you, and that is what you will do unless you wish to disobey the Princess," Lucy said. "My companions are here to make sure there is no foul play in this matter, and they will do not take kindly to insults of their friends. Do you understand what I am telling you?"

Mr. Justine raised an eyebrow as he looked at Lucy, then nodded. "What is it the Princess needs, Miss Heartfilia?"

"I would prefer if we drop the pretense of coming as emissaries for the princess, since her arranging this meeting was only a favor to me," Lucy said, watching with well-hidden delight as Mr. Justine's eyes widened again in shock before he could control himself. "Please do not misunderstand me: she expects you to speak with me concerning this matter, but her only part in this is the arrangement of the meeting; the matter itself is of a more personal nature to our guild."

"Very well," Mr. Justine said, clearing his throat.  _The princess owed her a_ _ **favor**_ _?!_ "What business do  _you_  have to discuss with me, Miss Heartfilia?"

"I believe you know exactly what business we have with you, Mr. Justine. It appears that you have one of our guildmates in your custody against his will, and we intend to retrieve him," Lucy stated.

"And how do you intend to do that?" Mr. Justine asked with a chuckle. "Are you going to cast some spell on me?"

"No, sir. I plan on using reason, the law, and logic to help you understand that your son is free to make his own decisions without you threatening his life or the lives of those he cares for."

"How dare you speak to him that way," Avery growled. "Father, this is the whore that he was with while he was gone."

"I see," Mr. Justine said thoughtfully. "Freed, you never told me about her. Why is that?"

"I saw no reason, sir," Freed said while keeping his eyes on the wall in front of him.  _He's lying… He knew about her all along._  He couldn't believe that Lucy and his team were really here. They had come for him. When Lucy had walked into the room, he finally realized that the note on the picture he had been left wasn't a lie. She had gone against his advisement about meeting with his father, and was going to attempt to free him. He had to control every part of his being when he saw her. She looked absolutely radiant in that dress, but he saw nothing of the life in her eyes that he remembered. Her face was blank, as it should be in this sort of setting, but the life that danced in her eyes no matter what was dulled. When he heard her speak, with no inflection or emotion in her words, his heart nearly shattered; he loved how she sounded when she spoke, and the fact that her spark of happiness was being suppressed was almost too much for him to bear, regardless of the reason.

Christophe had to hold in his surprise and elation when he realized who this woman was.  _Lucy Heartfilia,_  he thought in shock,  _This is the woman he fell in love with._  It was easy to see, based on her appearance alone, what Freed had found attractive about her: she was petite and wholly feminine, easily fitting in with the standards of high society just as her surname afforded. He could tell it was the same woman Freed had spoken of when he saw the scar on her face, since he remembered Freed's mention of a scar while he told Mara the story of the night Lucy had saved his life.  _I hope she can pull this off._  Christophe was willing to give up everything if it meant Freed could finally be happy. His older brother deserved that much after everything they had gone through as children.

"I see no point in providing any falsehoods, Mr. Justine," Lucy stated. "I am fully aware of your intentions to 'make an example out of me' if Freed had crossed any semblance of the arbitrary lines you have placed on his existence. I am also aware of your hand in the destruction of my home as a threat to Freed six months ago. Please do not take me for a fool, and I will extend you the same courtesy."

Avery sneered at Lucy and said, "How long did it take for him to get into your pants? Look at you, trying to make yourself seem more important when you're nothing more than trash."

Freed clenched his fists when he heard his brother's words, and it made him wonder what had happened to the sweet boy he had known growing up. He had been able to look the other way when Avery had attacked him earlier in the week because he assumed it was from their father treating him worse due to Freed's interference; but, now it seemed as though there was something else to it entirely. He saw each of his teammates tense with anger at Avery's outburst, but noticed that Lucy didn't react in the slightest. It was as if she hadn't heard it at all.

Lucy's gaze never left Mr. Justine's as she said, "Avery, is that correct?" When he stiffened, she continued, "I do believe that your father had the decency to teach you what is and is not proper etiquette when in the presence of a lady, regardless of her station in comparison to yours. Do you think so little of him that you throw those lessons away in favor of your own emotions?"

Freed had to stifle his laughter at Lucy's words: she was taking everything she knew from her past and using it against his family. Freed carefully bit his lower lip to hold himself back, but glanced at his team for a moment and saw all three of them smirking.

"A point well made," Mr. Justine said, turning to glare at Avery for his outburst. He turned back to face the young blonde woman, and was becoming more and more intrigued by her. She seemed unflappable, intelligent, and clearly had a great sense of class regardless of her father's business failing. What struck him as odd was that a young lady such as herself would associate with that guild at all.  _Like mother like daughter, I suppose,_  he thought while he hid a sneer of derision. "You are correct, I was aware of your presence in my son's life while he was away, Miss Heartfilia."

"Please, sir. You may call me Lucy," she replied.

"Frances."

Lucy bowed her head slightly in thanks for his allowance of her using his first name. "May I speak freely, Frances?" she asked when she looked back up at him.

Frances nodded his assent.

"I would like to know just what your intended goal was for capturing and torturing Freed for three weeks." Lucy knew it was abrupt, and highly uncalled for under normal circumstances, but the reactions she saw were what she needed to put the final pieces together and confirm her suspicions. Freed flinched, Frances' eyes widened in shock and horror, Christophe looked like he was going to be sick, and Avery smirked.

Laxus growled low in his throat, but was swiftly cut off by Lucy raising her hand.

"What are you talking about?" Frances asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion.

"I am talking about a clear misunderstanding, Frances. We have been led to believe that you had Freed captured and tortured to force him to reveal secrets about our guild and also have him return to your estate. Are any of those things true?" Lucy asked.

"I only wanted him to return to run the business," Frances said softly. "I never told anyone he needed to be tortured!"  _He didn't… He's not capable of something like that…_

"And did you perhaps tell anyone of your desire for him to return?" Lucy asked. When Frances only looked up at Freed in shock, Lucy cleared her throat. As Frances looked back at her, she locked her eyes with his. "I am sorry to inform you that there is someone here who has broken your trust. Avery, can you please explain why you are smirking right now at the mention of the atrocities your brother was forced to endure?"

Avery stiffened again and ignored Lucy's question.

"Or possibly how you know exactly who I am when not a single person aside from the three individuals I arrived with knew of my whereabouts. Maybe you would be willing to explain where you received the information that Freed has been courting me." Lucy turned to look at Avery as she continued, her eyes still fathomless and blank. "How is it that you are aware of so much when you are the third in line for this estate? As far as the familial hierarchy is concerned, you are nothing more than a last resort." She watched as Avery's jaw clenched while he tried to hold onto his control. "Would you like to know how I figured out that it was you, Avery?"

Avery turned to glare at the disgusting blonde woman, his body shaking with rage.

"I will take that as a yes." Lucy took a deep breath, then turned back to Frances and began. "The first clue that I had was the letter that was delivered to Fairy Tail the day my home was destroyed." Lucy brushed her hand over Virgo's key, and watched everyone's reactions to the Maid spirit's arrival: Christophe's jaw dropped slightly in amazement, Freed smiled, Frances' jaw clenched, and Avery's posture went rigid. Virgo handed Lucy a leather portfolio, then disappeared with a bow as Lucy pulled the letter, which had been placed in a plastic bag to contain the poison, from her portfolio and laid it on the desk. "As you can see, there is a small threat written on the page, which I can only assume was the threat to destroy my home. However, there is also a coded message that was originally written in invisible ink around the edges of the page. The magic of the ink has faded by this point, so you should easily be able to see it." She paused and traced the edges of the paper, then looked at Frances to wait for him to acknowledge that he saw it. "This message is written in a coded language that Freed created with his brothers when he was seven. It appears to be a message from Christophe. Tell me, Christophe. Did you write this?"

Christophe leaned forward to look at the paper, then furrowed his brow and shook his head. "No, I did not," he said softly, looking back up at Lucy to show his confusion.  _Avery wrote this?_

"As I compared the threat in the center of the page and the coded message, I realized that the writing was actually the same. I will not reveal the key to the coded message, but I can assure you that is the case. Christophe, would you please tell me if either of these have been penned by your hand?"

Christophe shook his head again and said in a deep baritone. "I have penned neither of these pieces, madam."

"Frances, if you would allow it, I would like Christophe to prove to me that he speaks the truth," Lucy said. When Frances nodded and looked at her curiously, she pulled a blank piece of paper from her portfolio along with a pen, and handed them to the middle brother. "Christophe, please write your name normally and in the coded language."

Christophe nodded and did as she asked.

Lucy leaned forward and put Christophe's paper next to the other one, then nodded. She pointed to the portion of the coded message that said 'Christophe' and then to his name. "These are two different writing styles. The loops and straight lines are clearly penned by someone who is right-handed in Christophe's paper, and the threat that was sent was by someone who is left-handed. Avery, aren't you left-handed?" Lucy asked as she looked up at the youngest brother.

"How did you know that?" Frances asked, stunned.

"I am very perceptive, Frances. Avery has writing calluses on the middle and index fingers of his left hand, along with a very faint graphite smudge along his pinky where his hand drags across what he's already written." Lucy looked back to the papers in front of her. "There were only three people that knew the key to this coded message before it arrived at our guild. Freed, who was just as distraught over the message as I was; Christophe, who is clearly not the author; and Avery. In the event that this is purely circumstantial, and if one would prefer to ignore the questions I have already asked of your youngest son, then there are two other pieces of evidence that prove his guilt."

"What might those be?" Frances asked.

Lucy pulled another page from her portfolio, then said, "This is a letter that Christophe sent to me at our guild. It is actually the reason I was able to deduce that he was not the original author of the first letter. Christophe, will you please read this aloud for your father?"

Christophe shook his head quickly while he looked at Lucy, not wanting to get into more trouble than he already would be in.

"I understand," Lucy said, "Freed, please read this to your father so he knows I am not lying about the message that has been written."

Freed looked over at Lucy, and saw the faintest of smiles grace her lips when he took the page from her and his fingers brushed lightly over hers. He smiled back and cleared his throat as he looked at the page. He read over it carefully first, then looked quickly over at Christophe with shock clearly written across his features. "You… You sent this to her?" he asked.

"Freed," Frances warned. "There will be time for that later."

"Of course, sir," Freed answered. "'To Freed's Love: I hope the information I received was correct in that you are able to read this letter. I have learned a great deal about you in the past day, and wished to send you some sense of peace concerning Freed, along with a request. Freed is well, and has been trying to live life here to the best of his abilities to protect you from our father. Our father himself has threatened to make an example out of you if Freed steps out of line, and I can assure you that this is the reason he has not tried to contact you. He misses you dearly, and it seems as though everything he sees reminds him of you. I did not know that you existed in Freed's life before yesterday, but I am truly happy that he has found someone to love him for who he is, and someone who can see past his scars. Before I can continue, I must apologize to you: I had a hand in my father's plot to return Freed. I did not, however, know that he would be tortured, or that my father would go to such extensive lengths to return him to the estate. My part was small, but the choice to go along with my father's plan in the first place was based on my own selfishness. For that, I am sorry. Had I known how happy Freed was, I never would have agreed to it. Had I known that he had found a woman to love him the way you do, that makes him smile and laugh so openly, I would have given up everything I've worked so hard to achieve to take Freed's place as the next heir. Now, all I can do is try to make this right. As I have written, Freed is miserable here. I wish to remedy that. I cannot make a formal request in any sense of the word, but I am begging you to find a way to take him back to your guild. I love my brother, and I always have, so I cannot sit back and watch him suffer. Please come for him; he needs you more than ever. Sincerely, Christophe.'"

"What does this blatant disregard for my orders have to do with anything?" Frances asked.

"In the original message, Avery wrote that you knew about me. He said you did not know my identity, though it would not take you long to discover it, only that I was a blonde mage. In Christophe's letter to me, he says that he did not know of my existence in Freed's life until the day before he wrote the letter. If Christophe had no knowledge of my existence or my importance to Freed, then there is no way he could have written the first message. The next part of Avery's message said that you were discussing with your associates how you would deal with Freed's refusal to return: that you would have me killed," Lucy replied. "Is this true, Frances? Would you have had me killed if Freed did not return?"

"I may be ruthless when it comes to my dealings, but I do  _not_  condone murder!" Frances shouted, turning to glare at Avery's enraged and scowling visage. "You had no right to do something like this." He sighed and shook his head, then turned back to Lucy so she could continue.

"My last piece of evidence is the weakest; however, based on Avery's actions today, and the clear overconfidence he possesses, it bears mentioning. Initially, I had assumed that it was mere coincidence, but now I know that it was planned," Lucy stated.

"What is this last piece of evidence, Lucy?" Frances asked softly.

"The mages that were hired to capture Freed were named Ansa and Victor. Their names are seemingly innocuous, and I would never have caught the last clue if I had not been the one to save him that night."

"You… saved his life? A woman?" Frances asked incredulously.

"Yes, sir. I received this scar that night," she said, gesturing to the scar on her face. "When Freed was captured the second time, on Christmas morning, the hired mages' names were Eden, Ren, and Yuki."

"What does that have to do with anything?" Frances asked, his eyebrows drawn together.

"Ansa, Victor, Eden, Ren, Yuki," Lucy said. "Their initials are A-V-E-R-Y." Lucy looked blankly over to Avery, and saw that his control was about to slip.

"You stupid bitch," Avery seethed. "There's no way you could have figured that out on your own."

"I assure you, I solved that puzzle on my own aside from Freed's explanation of that coded message. Even if I hadn't, Avery, you just confirmed my suspicions," Lucy replied.

"Why? Why would you do something so horrible to your own brother?" Frances asked sadly.

"Because I'm the only one worthy of running this business!" Avery shouted. "Christophe doesn't want to run the business, and he's already made arrangements for apprenticeship elsewhere. With Freed out of the picture, your estate would be in my hands. I'm not spineless like you thought; I was the one that hired those mages to capture him. They should have killed him that first week, but apparently they thought that they could get information out of him about that guild to use later on. The only reason Ren let him live was so I could figure out a way to finish the job once he was away from his friends! Tradition or not, Freed isn't good enough! He's a mage, a worthless piece of trash just like the bitch that thinks she can save him." He turned to glare at Lucy again, then said, "I should have made sure you were in your house before it was blown up. Ansa told me  _exactly_  what you looked like, so it wasn't hard to figure out who you were. I mean, how hard is it to find out who the only blonde slut in that garbage dump you call a guil—"

Avery's voice was cut off by a solid, bone-jarring punch to his jaw. Freed couldn't find it in himself to care about controlling his anger in that moment. It was bad enough that Avery had spoken ill of Lucy once, but he would be damned if he let it continue. "You will not speak of her that way, Avery," Freed seethed while he looked at his youngest brother's almost unconscious form on the ground. "Say what you will about me or my magic, but don't  _ever_  presume that Lucy is nothing more than a woman of ill-repute." He bent down and grabbed Avery by his collar and dragged him to his feet, letting every bit of his magic leak from him while he continued to speak. "If I ever hear you utter a single syllable against her… I. Will. Kill. You. Do you understand me?"

Avery's eyes widened in fear as he looked at his brother. Freed had never threatened anyone in the entire time that they'd known each other, and the menacing aura and darkening of Freed's presence caused his body to shake uncontrollably. He quickly nodded, and when Freed let him go to stand back on their father's right side, Avery was barely able to steady himself by tightly gripping the desk.

Frances raised an eyebrow as he looked at Freed. His eldest son's face was blank again as he stared at the wall like nothing happened. He couldn't believe that Avery would do something so horrible to his own brother, and all for the sake of running the family business.  _What has happened to my family?_

"Greedy sack of shit," Laxus muttered as he glared at Avery. "Fucking pathetic."

"What did you say?" Avery ground out once he regained his balance.

Lucy watched as Avery jumped across the desk and was instantly struck by lightning, falling to the ground unconscious. She knew that Laxus would take care of it; she was his little sister, and it had surprised her that he hadn't attacked the youngest Justine earlier when he'd called her a whore.  _Then again, I told him to try and control himself._

"Sorry, sis," Laxus whispered while he placed a hand on her shoulder for a brief moment. "I'm not letting anyone hurt you."

"It's fine, Laxus," Lucy said softly while she stared at the crumpled and slightly smoking man on the ground. "Thank you."

Christophe, Frances, and even Freed jumped and leaned over the desk to look at Avery, then Christophe and Frances looked warily at Laxus, while Freed studied Lucy's lack of reaction intently. Finally, they turned back to Lucy with wide eyes. "How did you not react at all?" Christophe asked breathily.

Lucy looked down at her hands and said, "Would you like the truth, Christophe?" When he nodded, Lucy said, "I lost the ability to feel anything. The day Freed was taken was the day I died inside."

Freed's heart clenched when he heard her.  _He_  was the reason she had lost her spark. The reason she had no life in her eyes, or a smile on her lips. He could tell that she was able to feel something at least, since she had smiled at him briefly when their hands touched earlier, but it still hurt to know that his absence had wrought such a reaction from her. Freed had felt every bit of hurt and anguish since he had woken up in this estate three weeks before, but Lucy had lost it all.  _She found out what it was truly like to be emotionless… Something I had wished for countless times._

"What is this torture you spoke of?" Frances asked, ignoring what Lucy had admitted to. "Freed shows no signs of being tortured."

"Freed," Lucy said while she looked lovingly into his eyes, "Would you be willing to show him what I have spoken of?"

Freed froze, his eyes wide with fear and quickly shook his head.

Lucy nodded. "Would you allow me to have Gemini show him in your stead?"

Freed gasped, then realized what Lucy was doing. He put his mask firmly in place and nodded, then lowered his eyes to the floor in shame.

Lucy brushed a hand over her bracelet and silently summoned Gemini. When the two small figures appeared with a flash of golden light, Lucy turned and told them to copy Freed as he is right now. They turned into Freed, dressed exactly the same as he was. "Gemini, please tell Frances something that only he and Freed would know about. Something that no one else could ever know," Lucy said.

Gemini-Freed looked at Frances and said in the Rune mage's voice, "When I told you that I didn't want to learn to play the piano while we were in your office, you slammed my head into the ground until I was unconscious, then dragged me to my room without anyone seeing me and left me to fend for myself. I was unconscious for two days, and would have died if mother didn't come to check on me."

Frances paled that the strange double of his son knew that. "How…"

"It matters not," Lucy stated, fighting the rage that swelled inside of her. "Gemini, please reveal Freed's torso." When Gemini did as Lucy asked, and became the shirtless and scarred Freed, Frances gasped while Christophe's face showed understanding along with recognition and deep sadness. Gemini-Freed slowly turned around, moving his hair out of the way so they could see every mark on him. "Thank you, Gemini. You may go." As fast as they had appeared, the two figures were gone. "That is the torture that I spoke of, Frances. Your son has gone through more than enough at the hands of this family. I am officially requesting that you release him and never pursue him, or anyone associated with him, again. You may not have been the perpetrator of his torture, but the ideals that you instilled in your children caused Avery to take the actions that he did."

"He is my son," Frances said sternly. "He will run the business when I am gone, because that is what he is  _destined_  to do. No matter how much magic you have, there's no way for you to change it."

"I have been informed that you are a fan of literature, is this correct?" Lucy asked. "More specifically, philosophical and theological inquiries in literature."

"How…" Frances paused and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Yes, I am. What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you believe in predestination or free will, Frances?" Lucy asked solemnly.

"Free will, of course," Frances said smugly.

"Yet you have stated that Freed is destined to run the business, and that he has no choice in the matter. You cannot believe in both free will and predestination at the same time," Lucy replied. "Predestination only allows that illusion of free will. So, what do you believe?"

Frances paused for a moment and stared at her. "Where is this coming from?"

"Have you read Paradise Lost, Frances?" Lucy asked.

 _What in the fuck is she doing?!,_  Laxus thought as he watched Lucy talking to Frances. She just ousted his youngest son as a traitor who tortured Freed, and then switched to talking about books. Laxus looked over at Freed and saw that even he was confused by Lucy's tactics. What Laxus had never wanted to see was the sadness that lingered in Freed's eyes as he looked at Lucy. The guy had seen what happened to the bubbly blonde once he had been taken from her, and it was killing him.

"I have," Frances replied.

"Then you are aware of the dilemma of predestination as opposed to free will that is posed," Lucy said simply. Frances nodded and she said, "Do you lean more towards the beliefs in Book Two: Satan's argument that his failure at taking over heaven was predestined; or in Book Three: God's argument that everyone has free will?"

"Book Three," Frances answered quickly.

"So, you believe that—in the event of an omniscient deity—we are all given free will to choose our own path. That he does not choose it for us, nor does he preordain our futures. He has foreknowledge of our futures based on the decisions we  _will_  make, but also knows all other possible futures based on the decisions we  _could have_  made," Lucy stated.

"Yes," Frances said carefully, trying to make sure that was exactly what he believed before answering her. "I still don't understand what this has to do with my son."

Freed's eyes widened in shock. Lucy had confused his own father with words alone, and all by referencing a book that the man knew like the back of his hand.

Lucy nodded and sat for a moment before saying, "If you agree with that concept, why do you not agree with Freed's right to choose his own path in life, even if that path is not what you would prefer?"

Frances sat silent, staring at Lucy.

"Also, what could you possibly gain from forcing him to stay?" she asked.

"A faithful son that will run the business when I am gone," Frances replied.

Lucy shook her head. "If you agree with the concept of predestination and free will as posed in the book, then would you not also agree with the abhorrence of forced servitude and that it serves no good for the higher power?"

Frances' eyes widened, then turned menacing. "Where in the book does it say that?" he asked as he raised an eyebrow in challenge.

Lucy sighed and shook her head before she summoned Virgo again, the first show of emotion from her so far.

"The book, Princess," Virgo said with a bow, handing Lucy the book and smirking when she was dismissed again.  _It seems my Princess is giving it everything she's got._

Lucy looked down at the book, opened it to the bookmarked page, and then handed it to Frances. Finally, she took a deep breath and said, "In Book Three, It says, 'Not free, what proof could they have giv'n sincere of true allegiance, constant faith or love, where only what they needs must do, appeared, not what they would? What praise could they receive? What pleasure I from such obedience paid, when will and reason (reason is also choice) useless and vain, of freedom both despoiled, made passive both, had served necessity, not me.'" When Frances made no move to speak, Lucy said, "You gain nothing from forced servitude, Frances. Let him go."

Frances sat in silence for a moment, staring intently at the lines she had just quoted perfectly. He was fuming and filled with rage that the young woman was able to use one of his favorite pieces of literature—one that he had poured years of his young life into studying—to undermine his decision.

"Can you explain why you believe Freed should stop pursuing magic?" Lucy asked.

"Because it is a foolish pastime, and a waste of his intelligence. He would be much more useful to society here," Frances said smugly, slamming the book closed and laying it on the desk. "Mages don't deserve to be happy. They are all worthless abominations."

Lucy heard the crackling of lightning and a low, menacing growl behind her, but ignored it as she said, "Was my mother a worthless abomination, Frances? Did she not deserve happiness?"

Freed's eyebrows rose and he glanced at his father.  _It was true… Everything Mara said was really true… That means I knew her before._

Frances shook his head sadly. "Not when I knew her. Your mother was an absolute angel in the eyes of everyone she met, but she wasn't practicing magic then."

"Then why did you react the way you did when you found out that she was a mage before meeting my father?" Lucy asked.

Frances sneered and said, "Once a mage, always a mage. She betrayed my trust by not telling me that she was one of… you."

Lucy nodded. "I understand."

"What?!" Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow shouted.

"Frances ascribes himself to the older tradition of pure and non-magical heritage. Once someone becomes a mage, they will always be a mage. No matter how long they discontinue their use of magic, it will always be part of them. Is that what you mean?" Lucy asked.

Frances nodded and narrowed his eyes at her while he waited to see where she was going.  _She doesn't seem to say anything without cause,_  he mused.

"Then why do you expect Freed to be any different?" Lucy asked.

"Well…" Frances muttered.

"Freed is a mage. An intelligent, kind, strong, and resilient mage. That will always be who he is, no matter how long he may discontinue using his magic. It is a part of him, just as magic is a part of my companions and myself," Lucy stated. "There is no changing that fact, and yet you appear to believe that forcing Freed to stay here and do your bidding will remove his magic, and love for magic, from him."

"Regardless of whether his magic stays with him, my son is to run the business, Lucy," Frances said as he tried to control his temper. "He is the eldest, and it is tradition. As I have said, it is a waste of his intelligence. Intelligence that can be put to better use serving his family and the business."

Lucy paused for a moment, then said, "Being a mage is not a waste of intelligence, Frances; especially not in Freed's case. His magic is based on intelligence: foreign languages, ancient languages, logic, reason, law, grammar, logical fallacies, psychology, philosophy, morality, rhetoric, and tactics. The more knowledge he has, the more effective his magic is because he can use that knowledge to his advantage to disable an enemy. Has he ever explained to you how it works?"

"Why would I want to hear about such nonsense?" Frances spat.

"You would want to hear about it because he is your son. It is something that interests him greatly, and has opened his eyes to a world beyond the walls of your estate. Freed has saved countless lives as a mage, battled hundreds of monsters and dark mages alike, and has come out victorious. The business relationships that you value so much are nothing in comparison to the bonds Freed has made with the individuals whose lives he has touched. You have power over those you work with, while Freed has camaraderie. You will eventually be alone, with only your empire to keep you company, while Freed will be surrounded by his friends and the ones he loves. He does not push people away, but embraces them. Even with the horrors he was forced to endure—for the sake of keeping those he cares for in Fairy Tail safe—he was still able to live his life normally. He may be a mage, but everyone is deserving of happiness. Magical ability does not preclude any individual from achieving it."

Freed watched in awe of Lucy as she spoke so highly of him. His heart skipped a beat when he saw life returning to her eyes as she spoke, and heard her voice growing stronger with each word that passed her lips. Lucy's conviction, determination, and her love for him started shining more and more brightly as she continued, and it left him completely dumbstruck. Freed's breath caught in his throat when Lucy met his gaze, her eye patch turning transparent while she continued to speak to his father.

"We were happy, Frances. Before Freed was taken, he and I were overjoyed at the prospect of being together and spending time with our friends and family at Fairy Tail. I helped him to overcome what he went through with his torture, and he was just beginning to feel as if life was back to normal. He was finally able to take me on a date in public because he wasn't afraid…" Lucy paused, taking a deep breath and smiling weakly at the man she loved. She refused to let her tears fall in that instant, not in front of Frances, and finally steeled herself and put her mask back in place.

Freed heard the wavering in her voice and saw a flicker of emotion cross her face while she spoke. It was there, for the briefest of moments, and then gone in an instant: Love. When she lowered her head, he caught the faintest glimpse of a tear in her left eye as she increased her eye patch's opacity.

Lucy felt something inside of her that she couldn't believe had shown up: her love for Freed. There was a small warmth in her chest, and a thickness in her throat. She swallowed to try and clear it, and eventually she felt it meld with her other emotions and increase the intensity of them. Her face relaxed back into the blank expression she had worn, and she looked back into Frances' eyes. "Your biases cause you to contradict yourself, Frances. This will be my last attempt at asking nicely for you to let Freed go."

 _That's asking nicely?,_  Laxus thought with an internal chuckle.  _She's ripped into him so many times it's not even funny… Okay, it's fucking hilarious._

"There's nothing you can do to stop me from keeping him here, short of assault," Frances said through gritted teeth.

"On the contrary, there is one legality that allows me to do just that." Lucy glanced at Freed once more before standing up to tower over the man at the desk and assert her dominance in this scenario. Then, she opened her portfolio. "Before I give you the reason that I am legally allowed to leave here with Freed, I will first give you two options for your response. You may choose either of these options at any point, even if I have not yet presented my final reason. Should you refuse either of these before I present that reason, I will force my hand and you will be required to sign one of these documents before I leave here today." Lucy laid two packets on the desk and pushed them towards Frances. "The first is an official severing of familial ties; you would be disowning him in the eyes of the law, and Freed would have no claim to your business or any assets of your estate. You will not have any further contact with him in any capacity, unless it concerns business conducted with the approval of the Master of Fairy Tail."

Frances raised his eyebrow and nodded, looking at the second packet. He was curious to see just where this was going, and decided to allow her to continue.

"Your other option is to allow Freed to legally renounce his claim to your estate while still maintaining a familial bond. In short, he will no longer be the next in line concerning any form of inheritance, and the responsibility of running your business after your passing would be left to Christophe. In both cases, there are identical clauses concerning you or any of your propriety pursuing Freed, or his own propriety, any guild he is associated with, and any person or persons he is associated with for the purpose of retribution or to return him here; this includes hiring an outside source to pursue the aforementioned individuals. In either case, the contracts will be made available to both parties, along with a copy for Fairy Tail's records, and one submitted to the Magic Council. The original will be kept where no one will be able to reach it."

"And where might that be?" Frances chuckled. "If I so choose, I could get to that original with ease. You underestimate me, dear Lucy."

"I do not underestimate your abilities, Frances," she replied. "There is only one place that no human will be able to tamper with the original."

 _She didn't…_  was the collective thought of Freed, Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow.

Lucy watched Frances intently while she continued, fighting to hide the grin that wanted to spread across her face. "I am sure that you have noticed by now the type of magic I use? I, just like my mother, and a Celestial mage. Due to my past actions concerning spirits and their care, the Celestial Spirit King himself will hold all original copies of any contracts signed here today. I have spoken with him as I speak with you concerning this matter, and he is in complete agreement that the extenuating circumstances in this particular case call for these measures."

Frances' jaw almost dropped at the mention of such a powerful being working alongside this woman in front of him. He might despise magic, but he knew enough to understand what she was telling him. "And if I refuse either of these options?" Frances questioned.  _The Spirit King_ _ **and**_ _the Princess of Fiore? Just how does this woman know so many powerful individuals?_

"If you refuse…" Lucy finally let her anger take hold, placing both hands on the desk and leaning forward slightly as she let a small amount of her magic leak out from her. When she spoke, her voice was menacing and filled with hatred, though a sweet smile was spreading across her face (oddly reminiscent of a certain white-haired barmaid the Fairy Tail members knew). "Then I will exploit your every weakness. I will destroy your business from the ground up." She stared deeply into the dark green eyes of Frances Justine as she continued. "You will not be able to survive the fallout once everyone finds out just what has occurred. Even just a whisper among those in high society that is initiated by someone in the Magic Council concerning an inquiry into your dealings will cause quite the devastation to your client list. Between the torture and capture of your eldest son, the years of abuse to all three of your sons and your wife, along with countless other offenses, you will be reduced to nothing more than a sliver of the man you call yourself now. You would be hard-pressed to survive the fallout should something like that occur. I will personally see to it that the only thing that is left of your previous glory is the philosophy degree you earned that shows you were once a man that was concerned with more than just money. I recommend you do not underestimate  _me_ , Frances. I know your weaknesses, each and every one. If destroying your business fails, I will do everything in my power to bring you down until you're nothing more than an empty husk. I will take every last thing from you that you cherish in this world and crush it right before your eyes so that you can feel the devastation and anguish your selfishness has inflicted on those around you… and I'll do it all with a smile on my face."

"Just how do you know all of this?" Frances asked, his face going pale again at the threat the petite blonde had thrown at him. He had never expected such an intense fury to lurk behind her eyes and in her posture as she glared at him. It was almost as if she was looking right into his soul, and could rip it out at any moment. As her magic surrounded her, he felt a shiver go down his spine and his palms becoming sweaty.

"Freed has told me some stories about his life before he joined Fairy Tail. Everything else, I found out for myself. Did you really think I would come here and not know a single thing about you, Frances? My father taught me better than that."

"Yes, it seems he did…" Frances paused for a moment, looking around the room to see that everyone was just as shocked at what Lucy had said. He sighed and said, "What is this reason you think you have that will allow you to leave with him?"

Lucy pushed her anger back down inside of her, along with pulling her magic back into herself as she stood up straight and cleared her throat. She carefully pulled out the last envelope in her portfolio and laid it on the desk. "There are several copies of this document, and the original is in the Spirit World where it was placed years ago," she said as she slowly pushed it toward Frances.

"Where… Where did you get this?" Frances asked, refusing to touch the papers in front of him.

"It seems that when you discovered my mother was a mage, and attempted to sever all ties with my family, you didn't realize that she had given this to one of her spirits for safekeeping," Lucy said. "You know what this document is, Frances. You also know that it means I legally have the right to him over you."

Freed's eyebrows drew together as Lucy answered his father's question. And he fought the urge to peer over his father's shoulder to see what had scared the man.

"This… This is impossible," Frances whispered.

"Father?" Christophe whispered, "What is it?"

Frances shook his head and stared in disbelief at the papers in front of him.

Lucy kept her gaze on Frances as she answered the question for him. "It seems that years ago, when Freed and I were too young to remember, our parents arranged a marriage." She paused when everyone in the room registered what she had said with shock. "The document was signed and sealed, with only two copies in existence—one for the Heartfilia family, and one for the Justines—and was to be opened upon my eighteenth birthday when I could legally marry. When Frances discovered that my mother was a mage, he moved to sever all ties with my family and destroyed the Justine copy of this engagement contract. My mother gave the Heartfilia copy to her spirits for safekeeping, and they have now given me a duplicate of that. Because there were no copies of the engagement that could be found, Frances and my father acted as if it never existed. When my mother died, my father attempted to marry me off in the hopes of saving his business, which perpetuated the ruse that was in place. Any marriage I would have entered would have been illegal, as I am already betrothed to Freed by way of that document."

Freed's eyes widened in pure shock. He had been planning on proposing to Lucy, but they were legally already engaged. And he hadn't known about it at all. When he thought back to his conversation with Mara, it made perfect sense. His father would have been willing to kill Lucy to make sure there was no way for them to marry—just in case the contract Lucy had just pulled out was still in existence somehow. Lucy was Freed's first friend, and their parents had arranged for them to marry. His father had ripped her out of his life twice, and Lucy was finally making sure it would never happen again.

"How do you know that you have more rights to him than I do?" Frances asked.

Lucy smirked, finally letting any emotion she wanted to show, and withdrew the letter from Hisui from the portfolio. "I am friends with Princess Hisui, Frances," she said as she placed the letter on the desk, "I asked her for advice on what to do. This is her response." As he read it, Lucy added, "You're lucky she doesn't want to cause any trouble for the monarchy, otherwise she would have stripped your family of everything herself."

Frances sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers, trying to figure out some loophole that he could use in his favor.  _There has to be some way…_

"Frances, it is well within my rights as Freed's fiancée to demand you release him with nothing more than a threat of reporting you to the Magic Council for kidnapping if you refuse. I am willing to be amenable, but you must be willing to cooperate. Now that I have shown you my lawful reason for removing Freed, you have a choice to make. Will you disown him or allow him to renounce his claim?" Lucy asked as she picked up the engagement contract and put it in her portfolio again.

Frances dropped his head in defeat and nodded. "Very well, Lucy Heartfilia. It seems you have bested me…"

 _Lucy and Freed are already engaged?!,_  Laxus thought in shock. He had no idea what to do with this new information, and when he looked at Freed he noticed a sense of shock as well. But, there was something else in the man's eyes that Laxus couldn't place.  _Relief, maybe?_

"Freed," Frances sighed, still in shock from what he had seen. "This is… clearly not a choice for me to make. Which would you prefer?"

Freed's eyes widened and his mouth dropped open. He didn't have to think over the options at all, he knew exactly what he wanted. "I would prefer to legally renounce my claim to your estate so that I may still call you family," he answered. No matter what had happened in the past, Freed had a feeling that his future with the rest of his family could change for the better if Lucy was in his life.

"Very well," Frances said, reaching forward and pulling the appropriate contract towards him.  _Maybe I can find something in this contract to use to my advantage…_  He started to read through it while Lucy filed the other one away, then frowned and looked at the young woman. "Who wrote this? I've never seen such an intricately worded contract before."

Freed looked down at the paper in his father's hands and chuckled. "That would be Lucy's handwriting, father." He glanced at the blonde, and saw that she was smiling softly at him as she waited.

"Freed is correct. In my attempts to find a way to retrieve him, I studied almost every book in our library at home. It was most beneficial when it came time to write these contracts," Lucy said, "Especially when I discovered that you specialized in contract-writing, Frances."

Frances nodded absently, then continued reading. Once he was done, he realized it was worded so eloquently that he hadn't been able to find a single loophole to exploit anywhere. He looked at the blonde woman in front of him, and actually felt impressed. She had proven to be a worthy opponent in the battle for his son, and had beaten him with logic and law. Just as she had said. "Where do I need to sign, Lucy?"

Lucy walked around the desk to stand next to Freed, grabbing a pen and handing it to him. Over the next few minutes, Lucy pointed out each place for both men to initial and finally sign. Once everything was completed, Lucy walked to the middle of the room and summoned Virgo once more. She asked the Maid spirit to make four copies, returning one to Frances and giving the other three to her, then to hold the original in the Spirit World. Virgo bowed and disappeared.

Within a few minutes, Virgo reappeared with a copy for Frances. "Princess, Leo is delivering your other copies to the appropriate parties. Master Freed's copy will be ready when you return home. Does the youngest son need to be punished, Princess?"

Lucy smiled at Virgo and said, "Not punished, but if you could handcuff him and give Frances the key, then he can decide what course of action needs to be taken later on."

"Of course, Princess," Virgo said. She made quick work of handcuffing Avery, enjoying herself just a little too much when she "accidentally" tightened them too much and made him whimper.  _No one speaks about my Princess like that and gets away with it. You're lucky they got to you first._ Virgo handed the key to the handcuffs to Frances, and then bowed before Lucy again and left.

"Lucy," Freed whispered wistfully, looking at her in complete awe. Lucy turned to look him while her smile widened and a blush crept across her cheeks. She had come to get him back, had saved his life once again, and had done what he had thought was impossible. Freed walked slowly towards her in the center of the room, never taking his eyes from hers. "Let me see you, Lucy," he said.

Lucy held Freed's gaze and nodded, then shifted her eye patch so it was transparent once again. She felt a tell-tale fluttering in her chest that she had feared would never happen again, and felt tears prick her eyes.  _It's… It's going to come back… He's free…_

"I've missed you," Freed said softly, lifting his hand to cup her cheek.

Bickslow, Laxus, and Evergreen watched with bated breath while Lucy and Freed finally reunited. They hoped that it would bring back at least a small part of who Lucy really was. Bickslow never stopped watching her soul, waiting for something to change. Waiting for some part of it to fill back in from the outline that was left.

Lucy gasped when his hand touched her cheek. It was warm and inviting, and promised everything she could have ever hoped for. She slowly lifted her own shaking hand to place it over his, then leaned into his touch. "Freed," she whispered breathily. "I…"

Freed smiled softly at Lucy, then leaned in and brought his lips to hers. He felt an odd sparking sensation between them once their lips touched, and felt as if a weight had been pulled from his body and into Lucy's. Lucy's body tensed, and he caught her around the waist with his free hand just as her knees buckled. Her hand quickly shot up and tangled in his hair as her lips moved against his, and when they separated he could hear the rest of the team chuckling.

Lucy took a deep breath and blinked a few times while she looked into Freed's eyes. He carefully helped her stand on her own two feet again, and she looked at him with wide eyes, and whispered, "You… It's all there… It came back…" Everything was there. She was back to normal. Her happiness, safety, hope, love, trust; everything.

"Thank fucking Mavis," Bickslow whispered as he watched her soul filling back in. "Cosplayer's back."

"I have something for you," Lucy said with a sweet smile. "You lost it the day they took you, and you just don't look right without it." She took a small step away from Freed and touched the sword charm on her bracelet. In a matter of seconds, Freed's sword and the belt he usually wore were laying across Lucy's outstretched hands.

Freed chuckled when Lucy smiled up at him before switching out the current belt on his jacket for his favorite one, then handed him his sword so he could set it where it needed to be. "Much better," he whispered as he pulled Lucy into a loving embrace.

Frances stood to his feet and cleared his throat to gain everyone's attention. "Freed," he started sternly, watching as his son went stiff. In a softer tone, one he hadn't used in a long while, Frances said, "It seems I was mistaken, son. This young woman showed me that today, and I can see that you care for her a great deal." He looked at Lucy and gave her a small, soft smile. "Lucy, it was most definitely an honor to make your acquaintance. I look forward to seeing you again in the future."

Lucy's eyes widened, then she looked at Freed and saw that his jaw had dropped. Her boyfriend, so calm and composed, was gaping openly at his father. Lucy looked back at Frances and saw the smile he had on his face. Keeping her face neutral, Lucy turned back to Freed and lifted one finger to gently press his chin up to close his mouth, "Sweetie, you look like I dead fish like that," she whispered, then giggled.

Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen all fell down at the same time with broad smiles on their faces. Lucy was back. She was really back. Bickslow had watched her soul come back into itself when Freed had kissed her, but the fact that they had heard her sweet and effulgent laughter—not missing anything whatsoever—had literally floored them.

Freed shook his head and smiled down at her. "I do not look like a dead fish," he retorted.

Lucy only smirked at him and nodded before turning back to Frances. She slowly made her way towards the man, and once she was directly in front of him, she smiled. "Thank you, Frances," she whispered happily. "I look forward to seeing you as well." She giggled when Frances awkwardly stuck out his hand for her to shake, then rolled her eyes and slapped it away lightly. He was shocked to say the least, but Lucy leaned up and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "You gave me back the man I love. Thank you…"

Frances' head shot up when he heard her.  _She loves him…_  There was a great deal that he would be thinking about once he was alone again, and it was all thanks to the young woman with her arms wrapped around him in a caring hug. Her slowly wrapped one arm around her and sighed. "Indeed, Lucy," he whispered before pulling away.

Lucy smiled, then turned to look at Christophe as she made her way over to him. She took his hands in hers for a moment, staring into his eyes and seeing everything she needed to right then. "Thank you, Christophe," Lucy whispered. She raised one hand to his cheek, giggling when he stared at her in shock, and said, "I want you to know that I forgive you. Your letter gave me the answers I needed, and for that I'm truly thankful."

"O-Of course, madam," Christophe said, not knowing what to do in this situation.

Lucy raised an eyebrow at how flustered Freed's brother was and couldn't help but smirk. "I'm pretty sure it's okay to call me Lucy, Christophe," she quipped, giggling when she heard Freed's chuckle along with their team. She leaned forward and gave him a hug that was very similar to Frances'—even with how long it took for him to respond in kind by wrapping his arms around her.

Christophe let out a chuckle of his own, looking over at Freed and smiling. "Of course, Lucy," he said.  _She's definitely one-of-a-kind, Freed. You've done well._

Lucy smiled softly at him, then turned to look at Freed. "Are you ready to go home?" she asked. "I seem to remember never giving you that Christmas present."

Freed nodded, then looked at his father and Christophe. "Please tell mother that Lucy and I will visit soon," he said with a smile, then gave them a slight bow before holding his arm out for Lucy and walking out the door with their team.


	14. Reunited

The Raijinshuu slowly made back to the hotel with wide smiles on their faces, happy that everything was back to normal. Freed would be coming home with them, Lucy was completely herself again—and hanging onto Freed as if he would disappear, which was understandable—and the rest of the team was able to feel the love between the two and a weightlessness they wanted to relish in forever.

"How are you feeling, sis?" Laxus asked softly, unable to keep his grin off of his face.

"Wonderful, Laxus," Lucy said with a smile. She looked at everyone for a moment, then sighed and said, "Guys… I'm sorry…"

"Lulu, there's no need to apologize," Evergreen said softly. "We understand…"

"Yeah, Cosplayer. Don't worry about it," Bickslow added.

Lucy shook her head and pressed on. "No, you guys did everything to help me, and I couldn't even properly thank you for it… I know you hardly slept to keep an eye on me, and how much it hurt you guys to see what I was going through… And then every time you tried to help, I just…" Lucy dropped her head in defeat. "I'm sorry for what happened. I really do appreciate everything you guys did to help me." She sighed and leaned into Freed's embrace when his arm wrapped around her waist.

Laxus chuckled and said, "Well, while I never wanna see you that way again, it was pretty badass to watch you rip into Freed's family like that… I thought his dad was gonna shit his pants!"

There was a round of laughter before Freed nodded in agreement. "It's true. I have never seen him so flustered in all my life. I am curious to know how you quoted that book to him though."

Lucy blushed and said, "Um, I may have had Crux find everything he possibly could on your dad and brothers. I found out what he got a degree in, and then read his final thesis on Paradise Lost. So… I may have read it a few times and memorized it…?"

Laxus snorted and added, "She read every book in your library, and most of the law books in the guild's library. Plus… What else?"

"Philosophy, Literature, Finances, Business, Ethics, Mathematics, Law," Evergreen started listing off, counting each one on her fingers.

"Psychology, Biology, Anatomy," Bickslow added, letting his tongue loll out of his mouth, "English, Grammar, Ancient Languages, History, something about runes…"

Lucy blushed and said, "I didn't read our  _whole_  library… I only had two shelves left when we left the house on Monday, and we haven't been back since." She paused for a moment, then mumbled, "It would have taken less time if I'd remembered to use those stupid Gale Force glasses…"

Freed's jaw dropped and he looked down at Lucy in shock. "I've been gone for three weeks, how did you read so much?"

"Um…" Lucy mumbled, turning away from Freed. She really didn't want him to know how bad it had been while he was away. She had been a mess, now that she thought about it. Not eating or sleeping for that first week, and then only sleeping when Laxus was around and eating when he convinced her to do it. There had been some part of her that had allowed her big brother to comfort her, even though she couldn't feel any comfort from it.

"She didn't sleep, Freed," Evergreen sighed. "Or eat…"

Laxus nodded and said, "She wouldn't let anyone get close to her or touch her, except me. I was the only one that was able to get her to do anything aside from reading."

"Yeah, she even attacked Natsu when she got to the guild on Christmas when he got too close," Bickslow said. "We didn't let anyone come by to see her like that, until I finally said Gray could come see her so the guild would understand what was happening… She almost killed him when he tried to hug her…"

Freed's head whipped around from looking at everyone while they spoke to gape at Lucy, who looked completely ashamed of herself.

"Can we… um… Can we not talk about this right now?" Lucy asked softly as they arrived at the hotel. She kept her gaze on the ground as they walked inside, and was gently pulled to a stop by Freed once they reached the front desk. Lucy kept her eyes on the ground, not hearing what Freed was saying. After a minute, he carefully led her down the halls to the room. Lucy looked up and then furrowed her brow. "This isn't the right room, Freed," she said as she turned around.

Freed nodded and said, "I haven't seen you in three weeks, Lucy. I have several things that I need to discuss with you, and wanted privacy."

Lucy nodded and then looked back at the ground as she walked into the room towards the bed, taking her coat off and draping it over a chair while she walked. Her head shot up when Freed's hands snaked around her waist, pulling her tightly against him. She felt his warm breath dancing across the bared skin of her neck, and shivered.

Freed kissed Lucy's neck lightly before moving up to her ear. His jacket and sword were already discarded on the same chair Lucy had laid hers on, and he couldn't keep himself away from her any longer. "Lucy," he whispered, reveling in the reaction she gave him, "You must be extremely uncomfortable in this." He smirked when Lucy gasped and slowly nodded. He continued kissing every inch of her skin on her neck and shoulders while his hands quickly unbuttoned the back of her dress.

"I-I thought… you wanted to talk…" Lucy said wistfully, gasping in the middle of her sentence when Freed's tongue ran up the column of her neck.

"I do," Freed whispered. "There's something I need to do first."

Lucy shivered when she felt her dress loosen slightly and tried to stifle the moan that wanted to creep out when Freed's hands slid the fabric down her arms, his fingers dancing lightly across her skin. She kicked off her shoes and started to undo the rest of the godforsaken dress she was wearing.  _Damn these stupid skirts,_  she thought,  _I always hated these things…_  She whimpered when Freed stopped her hands, then moved his lightly over her completely bare shoulders. His lips never stopped kissing every morsel of skin he could find, and Lucy gasped when she felt him deftly loosening the laces on her corset. In less than a minute, she sighed in relief and watched the offending article of clothing fly across the room to land haphazardly on the dresser.

Freed smirked when he heard how relieved she sounded once the corset was gone. He pulled his mouth away from her to carefully remove her necklace, earrings, and bracelet and place them on the nearest nightstand. When he stood back up, his fingers smoothed over her bared back, and he bit lightly on her neck. She was panting already, small mewls of pleasure coming from her. Freed pulled back again, and lifted his hands to Lucy's hair, carefully pulling each of the ruby pins from it and then watching as it cascaded down her back and ended at her waist.

Lucy moaned and leaned back against Freed's chest with a smile on her face. Her hands reached behind her to tangle in his hair, and she couldn't find any part of her that cared about being completely topless right then. Especially not when Freed's breath caught in his throat and his hands smoothed up her stomach to her breasts, then lightly tease her nipples between his fingers. Lucy turned her head and captured Freed's lips in a searing kiss, arching her back to press more firmly into his hands.

"Lucy," Freed rasped with want when their lips separated. He groaned when she breathily whispered his name, and pulled his hands from her perfectly pert nipples to tear away the last of her clothes, tossing her skirts, stockings, and panties away from them as quickly as possible.

Once she was completely bare, Lucy whirled around and slammedher lips over Freed's while quickly unbuttoning his shirt. She moaned again when she felt the scars running along his chest, but didn't waste any time as her hands dropped to his pants while he pulled his shirt off the rest of the way.

"I missed you, Lucy," Freed whispered, sliding his hands from her hips upwards to palm Lucy's breasts again while she undid his pants and pushed them and his underwear down his body. He grunted when her hand immediately closed over him, stroking over him quickly and rubbing her thumb over the tip before returning to his base. Freed kicked off his boots and pulled off the rest of his clothes before lowering Lucy onto the bed, kissing and sucking a searing path down her body.

"I missed you too, Freed," Lucy whimpered with apparent need, her legs instantly spreading as Freed moved lower and lower. His tongue circled her navel, dipping inside briefly before he continued making his way to her already dripping sex. Each press of his lips to her skin had her body clenching in anticipation of what was to come. By the time he pressed one last kiss to the small patch of golden curls above her slit, Lucy was panting and gripping the sheets tightly.

Freed's hands slowly slid up the inside of Lucy's legs, and he kissed and nibbled on her inner thigh while she started to writhe. He had spent too long away from her, and wanted to savor every moment they had together. While Freed would have loved nothing more than to show Lucy just how much he had missed her by planting himself firmly into her warmth, he was determined to take his time. There was no rush to please her, because he planned on doing it over and over again until neither of them could move.

"Please, Freed…"

Freed looked up from between Lucy's legs and saw her watching him intently. His lips ghosted over her core, barely touching the skin. He pulled back just enough to flick his tongue across his lips and taste her arousal on them. "Please what, Lucy?" he asked as his hands finally reached the tops of her thighs. The sight of Lucy's heaving breasts, flushed face, and lust-filled eyes nearly broke the control Freed had. Just as she was about to answer him, Freed smirked and brushed a finger lightly up her slit.

Lucy's body tensed at the small touch Freed gave her, and a moan spilled from her lips. His warm breath on her core only made her feel hotter, and Lucy wanted to feel everything she possibly could from the man she loved. "Please," she whispered. "Don't tease me…"

"I don't… Believe… I'm teasing you," he said with a smirk, his words separated by light kisses to the juncture of her thighs and sex. He listened to her breath catch in her throat as he pressed reverent kisses to her outer lips while his hands spread her legs as wide as they would go.

Lucy felt her face heat up in a deep blush when Freed pushed her legs open and she saw the devious smirk on his face.  _I've never seen him like this before,_  she thought as her arousal spiked. His eyes devoured every inch of her bare flesh from her flushed face downwards, and when they returned to her core she watched as he licked his lips before slowly lowering his head and running his tongue up her slit. His hands moved back down to her center and she felt his thumbs pushing her lower lips apart before all thought escaped her.

Freed moaned when his tongue circled around her glistening entrance, and he heard a much louder moan from Lucy. He kept his eyes locked on hers while he lightly blew on the moist skin, and when she shivered and moaned again, he decided that enough was enough.

Lucy cried out in pure pleasure when Freed slammed two fingers into her and closed his mouth over her sensitive bundle. His tongue flicked and flitted over that little nub before he lightly sucked and clamped his teeth around it. "Freed! Oh god…" she moaned, arching her back as his fingers pistoned in and out of her.

Freed slid his free hand up her body, reveling in the smooth skin of her hips and waist before he finally palmed her breast. He brushed his thumb over her nipple, feeling it harden at his touch, and couldn't suppress the groan that spilled from him. He'd never seen Lucy react the way she was, her moans turning into all-out screams and cries of pleasure, her body writhing and bucking as he brought her closer to her climax.  _She couldn't feel anything while I was gone,_  he thought,  _I'll be sure to make up for that…_  Between one thrust and the next Freed added a third finger, pushing harder and faster into her as he felt her walls tighten around him in anticipation of her impending orgasm. "That's it, baby," he rasped against her sex before he nibbled on her clit again. "Let me hear everything."

Lucy's eyes rolled back, her core tightening painfully around Freed's fingers when he spoke. Every thrust into her had her climbing higher and higher, the cord inside of her wound tighter than she'd ever thought possible. Her hands finally left the sheets and tangled in Freed's hair as she rolled her hips and ground herself against his mouth and fingers, screaming loudly with every thrust into her. Garbled versions of his name, pleas to any and every deity out there, and even a few curses left her mouth while she let herself get swept away in the pleasure coursing through her. She felt every twist of his hand, every time his fingers swirled around and curled inside of her, every flick of his tongue across her, and as she continued climbing Lucy didn't think she would be able to handle what was surely going to be the most intense orgasm she had ever experienced.

Freed had never known that the sight of Lucy just before she climaxed could be so erotic. The way her breasts quivered with each gasp, how her body went completely rigid and her legs tensed in anticipation. Most importantly, the way her mouth opened in a silent scream and her eyes went wide almost as if she was shocked by what was happening. Every detail he took in had him hardening further. He memorized every bit of it before he finally threw her over the edge with one last forceful thrust into her and a long moan against her engorged bundle of nerves. He quickly pulled his fingers out of her and pushed his tongue into her waiting heat, lapping up every bit of her climax before she could even finish screaming his name. His hands slid under her legs and wrapped around her hips to keep her pressed against his mouth as her back arched, and he drew out the clenching spasms inside of her for as long as he possibly could.

Lucy's hands never left Freed's head all through her orgasm, and when she slowly floated back to herself, she realized that her entire body was quaking in the aftermath of it all. Her grip on his hair loosened and her hands slowly slid from his head to fall limply onto the rumpled sheets beneath her. She whimpered and mewled in pleasure as Freed slowly and carefully licked every remnant of her arousal from her, blushing lightly when his tongue moved down to the rounded cheeks of her rear and up onto her thighs. No matter what he did, Lucy couldn't bring herself to move or try to stop him, and her breath caught in her throat as he spoke.

"I never thought I'd see you again," he said softly, lightly kissing her thighs. "I missed you so much." Freed smirked at Lucy when he saw her watching him, and he carefully pulled her limp legs up while he sat up on his knees. His hands slid down her legs to her feet, and he felt the shiver that ran through her as she moaned at the small contact. He pulled her feet up and pressed a light kiss to the tops of each one, saying, "I missed the way your feet are always cold when we go to sleep, and how you warm them up with mine." He trailed kisses up one calf to the knee, then paused and repeated on the other. "How happy it makes me to see you kicking your legs back and forth while we sit at the guild." He paused and chuckled before adding, "The way you always kick Bickslow for being a pervert." He smiled when he heard Lucy giggle, and continued the trail up both of her thighs, making sure to stay away from her core while his hands massaged her legs. "The way your legs wrap around me when we're making love; how soft and smooth they are when I run my hands over them; the way you lay them across me while we sleep."

Lucy couldn't believe what he was saying. Freed was taking his sweet time to show her exactly what he loved about her, what he had missed while they were apart. Each kiss he pressed to her skin was soft, gentle, and filled with love and adoration, and her heart swelled and sent a renewed warmth and a sense of serenity flowing into her veins while he continued.

Freed chuckled lightly as he kissed her hips, gliding his tongue from one to the other before saying, "How just seeing your hips takes my breath away; the way you move while you're dancing." He pressed a single kiss to her glistening curls. "The way you taste; how absolutely breathtaking you are when you fall apart at my touch."

Lucy blushed when he mentioned enjoying how she tasted, but there was a soft smile on her face as tears welled in her eyes.

Freed kissed every inch of Lucy's stomach and waist, stopping just under her breasts and letting his breath dance across her chest. "How it feels to have my arms wrapped around you, holding you close and never letting you go again." He deliberately kissed each of the scars that had been left from Ansa's whip on her ribs, and said, "Your dexterity, agility, and—" he smirked while lightly grazing his teeth over her ribs, reveling in the way her breath caught in her throat, "stamina." His nose lightly dragged up her sternum, and he kissed right between her breasts. "You spirit and determination; the beautiful soul that sits inside of you, that you've bared for me to admire." He slowly dragged his lips across her breast, kissing one nipple before closing his mouth over it and running his tongue lazily across the pebbled tip, then moving to the other and repeating. He cupped her breasts in his hands and massaged them as he kissed up to her collar bones. "The way you quiver when I touch you; how scrumptious you look wearing only my shirt to cover yourself." He moved down slightly and kissed her chest, just above her heart. "The way you love me for who I am; how you open your heart to everyone you meet, giving each of them a piece of it and changing their lives for the better; how forgiving you are; your compassion and bravery; and the love you have for your spirits."

The tears that had welled in her eyes slowly fell, and in that moment Lucy knew without a doubt that her life really would never be the same without Freed. She had done everything in her power to get him back, and the joy she had felt was completely overshadowed by his own words of adoration. "Freed…" she whispered happily.

He glanced up to look into Lucy's eyes, and returned her smile while his hands slid down her arms. Once he reached her hands, he laced their fingers together and pulled them towards his mouth. He kissed her wrists, palms, and then the tips of each of her fingers before he said, "The way you run your fingers through my hair; how just a simple touch from you can bring me to my knees; how you make my heart melt when you touch my scars without pulling away from me." His lips lightly dragged up her arms while continued. "I missed the way you hold me; how it feels to have your arms wrapped around me after a nightmare; how safe you've made me feel."

Lucy's body was having a hard time deciding whether it wanted to be turned on by his actions or melt into a puddle right then. Her heart had already melted, and her nerves lit up when Freed settled himself between her legs while he softly kissed her neck. She would never get tired of hearing what he loved about her, how she had brought happiness into his life, or how safe and loved he felt with her. A small part of her brain marveled at the fact that any time Freed had said something concerning what he loved about her, he had never used the same words twice—always finding new and more romantic ways to tell her, and taking her breath away every time.

He pressed one last kiss to her neck and whispered, "The soft lilting of your voice; the way you scream my name; your infectious laughter; hearing you sing when you think no one's listening." Freed moved slowly up to one ear and nibbled on the lobe. "How you can spend hours listening to everyone around you; your… interesting…" he smirked, "taste in music; how red yours ears get when you blush." He chuckled when he pulled away to see the ear he had just whispered into turning a darker shade of red when she blushed, then pressed a gentle kiss to her hair while he ran his fingers through it. "I missed seeing your hair shining in the sunlight; running my hands through it and brushing it for you in the morning." He kissed her forehead once before moving to the other ear and whispering, "Trying to figure out your riddles; the way you outsmart me with a smile on your face; how difficult it is for me to do the same to you. I missed your intelligence, quick thinking, and your sense of humor."

Lucy's eyes closed and she basked in the books-and-darkness scent that was unique to Freed, sliding her hands up and around his back to play with the ends of his hair. She smiled at the small shiver that ran through him before she felt him press a soft kiss to her eyelids.

"I missed your eyes; seeing a part of my magic in them; the warmth that spreads through me when you look at me; how you view the world around you; how you're able to scare even Laxus with just a look—" They both laughed lightly. "—And the way you see me for who I am, and don't see scars when you look at me." Freed kissed Lucy's nose and with smirk and said, "I missed the way you smell: vanilla and honey… just like I did when you saved my life and bathed me."

Lucy's eyes shot open and she stared at him in shock.  _I never told him about that…_

Freed chuckled as he looked at her stunned expression. "I knew that night when we fell asleep. My hair was still damp, and I was clean. When you laid down next to me, I smelled your shampoo and put it together."

Lucy blushed, opening and closing her mouth before finally saying, "I-I… Well, I had to clean your w-wounds, and… I swear, I didn't see anything. I looked at the ceiling when I moved down to wash your feet… So…"

Freed smiled and shook his head before pressing his lips to hers. The kiss was gentle, soft, and perfect. When he pulled away, he could see the dazed and happy smile on her face. "I missed your smile, Lucy; the feel of your lips against mine; the way you use everything else that I love to bring happiness to everyone around you with just your words." He smirked and ran his nose along hers before lowering his lips once more.

The kiss was tender at first, but it quickly changed when Lucy's tongue flicked out before sucking Freed's lower lip into her mouth. She nibbled on it and heard him groan, and when their lips met again Freed's tongue roughly pushed past her teeth to battle with hers. He'd made her feel like an absolute goddess while he kissed every inch of her body, almost as if he was worshipping her very existence, and the previous confusion in her body on what it wanted was gone. She wanted—no, needed—him more than anything else.

Freed's arousal hadn't diminished, but he'd been able to hold it at bay until he tasted her. No longer gentle, his lips moved roughly along her scarred ones while he pressed himself closer to her. He hadn't realized that her core was pressed against his bare manhood before, but it became glaringly obvious when she rolled her hips. His hand slid down her body and his thumb moved in slow circles over her hip while he ground himself against her, groaning when her lower lips spread and her awakening arousal coated him in her slick juices with each pass over her sex.

Lucy' hands left his hair to run across his back, her fingers feeling every muscle as they bunched with his movements, and every small raised portion of his scars. Their bodies moved in unison, and each time his head brushed over her engorged bundle, she moaned. Between one thrust and the next, she felt the velvety tip of his completely bare manhood probing her entrance, and she whimpered when he stopped. She felt him groan against her lips, and then his head dropped to her shoulder in an instant and she felt him tense up with restraint.

"We… We can't…" Freed whispered through gritted teeth. Of course they couldn't do what they really wanted, because he didn't have a single condom on him anywhere—he hadn't needed them while he was at his father's. He had been so clouded with lust once his lips had touched her that the only thing on his mind was pleasing her, being nestled between her legs and buried deep inside of her. He hadn't thought about what was missing until he felt her already slick sex on him, and it took every bit of his resolve to stop himself.

Lucy pulled Freed's head up and looked deeply into his eyes. She had spent three whole weeks unable to feel a thing and working to get him back. She wasn't going to let the lack of protection stop her from feeling every solid inch of him plunging inside of her. "Freed," Lucy rasped, her voice thick with need. "If you don't fuck me right now, I'm going to lose my mind. Condom or not, I  _need_ you."

Freed's eyes widened in shock, then he groaned when Lucy roughly tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled him down into steamy kiss. Her tongue forced its way into his mouth, gliding greedily along his. He felt Lucy's legs wrapping around his hips, and Freed reached between them to guide himself to her entrance. She moaned into the kiss when he rubbed himself along her moist slit, her hips already rocking as she tried to push herself onto him. His free hand slid down her side until he reached the rounded globe of her backside, and he started to massage it while teasing her entrance.

"Please, Freed," Lucy begged between kisses, her fingers massaging down his neck and onto his shoulders. "Please don't make me wait."

Freed's breath caught in his throat at her breathy pleas, but his hips flexed in response and he pushed into her until only his head was nestled in her warmth. He groaned at how different she felt wrapping around him without anything as a barrier between them, and slowly filled her until his hips were pressed to her pelvis.

"Yes," Lucy moaned, trailing kisses across Freed's neck. He slowly pulled back, ripping another moan from her throat before slamming back into her. She felt every bit of his need for her as he began devouring every inch of her flesh, sucking roughly on the tender flesh of her neck and leaving marks in his wake. Lucy met each of his thrusts with a roll of her hips, causing her body to wind up faster than she thought possible. "Freed," she panted just before his mouth slanted over hers, his tongue diving into her mouth in time with his quickening pace.

He had no control by that point. There wasn't even an illusion of it as he continued plunging into her soaking depths. "Oh, Lucy," Freed grunted as he felt her walls fluttering around him. Her answering moan made his hips snap back into her with more force than he had ever used before, but before he could worry about having hurt her, Lucy's scream made him want more. He slammed himself into her core again and again, feeling her body tense around him before her head flew back and she found her release. Freed's pace faltered when he felt her contracting around him, and his breath hitched at the thought of filling her to the brim with his seed. He quickly recovered, trailing small bites and kisses down her neck and chest until he sucked a nipple into his mouth and let out a long moan.

Lucy writhed as Freed feasted on her flesh. It was like he had been starved, and her body was the only nourishment that could sustain him. Her hands tangled in his hair again, pressing him closer to her, and she could have sworn she saw stars when his teeth clamped down lightly on her nipple and he groaned against her. "F-Freed," she panted, her voice higher than usual and barely more than a whisper. His arms wrapped tightly around her waist, and Lucy gasped as he pulled her tightly to his chest and sat up on his knees, never breaking stride.

Freed groaned loudly when the angle changed, and he felt better than ever that wonderful sweet spot deep inside of her. Lucy's breathing quickened as he made sure to hit it with every thrust, and Freed could feel his body tightening in response to hers. Even though he was lost in every noise she made, and just how wonderful it felt to have her wrapped around him, Freed's conscience decided to pop up right then and ask what he planned on doing when his own release came.

Freed's pace faltered again, but Lucy could tell it wasn't from his impending orgasm. She placed her hands on his chest and roughly pushed him down onto the bed, then slammed herself onto him and rolled her hips before repeating. She watched with a swell of feminine pride as Freed's eyes widened then rolled back, his adam's apple bobbing deliciously as he swallowed to try and relieve his dry throat. His hands locked onto her hips and pulled her more forcefully onto him, his hips flexing to meet her with every thrust. Lucy lost her balance and fell forward, catching herself with her hands on either side of Freed's head while she kept riding him, both of them not caring in the slightest how loudly they were moaning at that point.

Freed's eyes shot open when he realized just how close he was to his own climax, but he was instantly mesmerized by Lucy's body. Her breasts were bouncing in time with each thrust, her skin was covered in a thin sheen of sweat. His hands slowly slid along her thin waist and he felt the small indentations in her skin from where the corset had been cinched. He felt her walls clenching around him again as she neared her own orgasm, and finally broke from his perusal of her body. "Lucy," he groaned, "We have to… Mmm… to stop… Ngh… Oh God!"

Lucy moaned when she impaled herself completely and then swirled her hips. It felt absolutely wonderful, being filled by Freed so completely, with nothing between them to stop her from appreciating every bit of him, and when their eyes met she smirked deviously at him. What had made her smirk was the reaction Freed had while he was trying to stop what they were doing. His eyes had nearly bugged out when her hips swirled around, and his whole body went tense while he tried to hold himself back. His breathing was ragged and she licked her lips when she saw how his muscles were clenching along with his heavy pants. "Why?" Lucy asked, sitting up fully and swirling her hips again before pulling up and slamming herself back onto him.

Freed grabbed Lucy's hips to try and make her sit still, pressing her firmly against him so he was filling her completely. The feel of her wrapped so tightly around him was testing every shred of his resolve to stop right then, and with her moving it only made it worse. He was so close that his body had already tightened to let him spill over, but he had to tamp that urge down. He took a deep breath and looked into her lust-filled eyes, saw the small smirk on her face. "I… I can't…" he panted. "Lucy, please… God, you feel so good like this…" No matter what he did to try and stop her, Lucy found a way around it.

Lucy rolled her hips against Freed when his hands locked around her to keep her still, holding her tightly against his own hips. "Can't what, sweetie?" Lucy whispered, leaning forward to lightly tug on his lower lip with her teeth. His grip tightened again as he groaned, and Lucy pressed her chest to his. She let his lip go and slowly rolled her hips again while looking into his eyes. "Tell me," she whispered.

Freed stared into the mismatched eyes of the beautiful blonde. "I'm so cl—oh, Lucy…" His eyes rolled back again when she managed to pull him almost completely from her, just to lower herself onto him slowly.

"Are you close, Freed?" Lucy rasped. She nipped at his earlobe and smirked when he nodded. "Mmm, good," she hummed. Lucy's hands slid down his arms to hold onto his wrists. She lifted herself, with just the tip of him still inside of her, and waited. "Why should we stop if you're so close?" Lucy swirled her hips while still poised above him, then chuckled when Freed gasped.

"Because… I don't have… Ngh…" Freed was losing a battle with himself, his hips itching to slam back into her warmth. Lucy loosed the grip his hands had on her, and slid them to back to her rounded cheeks.

"I want to feel  _all_  of you, Freed," Lucy said huskily, then sucked that sensitive spot on Freed's neck that she knew drove him crazy.

"A-All…?" he stuttered. Freed's body was raring and ready to please Lucy in any way she wanted, and his heart swelled at the thought of giving every bit of himself to her. His mind on the other hand wasn't so convinced it was a good idea.  _You wear a condom for a reason, idiot!_ , it practically shouted at him.

"Mm-hmm," she purred before letting his neck go with a pop. "Every. Last. Bit," she said, each word separated by a kiss that led back to his mouth. Lucy's hips swirled again, and she allowed only a few short strokes of his manhood before poising herself above him again. She was reveling in the feel of his flared head barely pushing inside of her, feeling just how different it was without any protection.  _I could get used to this. Thank Mavis I've been on birth control since I joined the guild._

"But—" Freed gasped, his head pushing against the bed as it tried to fly back when Lucy slammed down and impaled herself on his turgid length again. He groaned and massaged the soft flesh that sat in his hands, and felt his hips involuntarily flex to meet her.

"That's it, baby," Lucy moaned. Her eyes widened when Freed roughly pulled her down onto him again, then held her in place while his own hips slowly rocked into her over and over. "Oh, just like that!" Lucy sat up quickly, and picked up the fast pace they had abandoned. She whimpered and locked her eyes with Freed's as she teetered on the edge of an orgasm.

Freed grasped her tightly and forced her down onto him, grunting every time he filled her. He was once again mesmerized by the sight of her as she rode him. The blush across her cheeks, her eyes heavy with lust as she looked into his, the way her breasts bounced with each thrust, and how her hands slid up her body to tease her breasts, the full mounds spilling between her fingers. She made it glaringly clear that she wanted to keep going, and his mind had finally given up trying to convince him otherwise. Her body had him in a death grip as she neared her climax, and he couldn't imagine how it could get any tighter when she finally crested that peak. He roughly pulled her hips down onto him and held her in place while grinding her against his rocking hips, pushing deeper than before and teasing her sweet pink pearl relentlessly as it rubbed against his pelvis.

"AGH! FREED!" Lucy screamed as jolt after jolt of pleasure wracked her body, and there wasn't a single thing she could do to hold back the screams that spilled from her. Her body was burning with desire for this man, and Lucy planned to give him everything he wanted and more. With lust blazing through her veins, Lucy found herself leaning forward and pressing her hands to Freed's chest to gain the leverage she needed.

Freed groaned loudly as she started moving faster on him, and he responded by pounding into her with everything he had. She was like a goddess above him, her golden hair spilling around them in soft waves and her lips parted just enough to get her heaving breaths out. Her nails dug into his chest, and Freed's hand dove between them to rub quick circles over her engorged and glistening bundle between her legs. He groaned when her hips bucked wildly against him, and when Lucy's body tensed that last time Freed felt as if all of his air left him at once.

Lucy screamed a garbled version his name to the heavens as she found her release, and Freed slammed himself into her one last time as he fell over the edge as well. She collapsed onto his chest and felt a new and strange warmth pulsing into her in time with her sex, then blushed when she realized just what it was. She smiled and pressed lazy kisses to his shoulder when his hands slid up her back lightly, holding her gently while their bodies returned to normal.

Freed knew he would have collapsed with the force of his orgasm, and slowly slid his hands along every inch of her shivering bare skin while her sex sucked every last drop from him further into her. He couldn't help the spasms that wracked his body every time her core tightened around him, or the soft moans that escaped him, and all he could do was try to figure out how to breathe normally. He felt and heard a contented sigh slip from Lucy's lips before she slowly reached one hand up to cup his cheek. "I… love you… so much," Freed panted when he felt the small smile on her lips as they pressed more tender kisses to his neck. He answered with a sweet kiss to her shoulder before brushing her hair away from her face.

A soft smile graced Lucy's face when she slowly lifted her head and their eyes met. "I love you too, Freed," she whispered, running a thumb across his lips before leaning down for a tender kiss. It was sweet, gentle, and everything that they both needed in that moment. When Freed carefully slid out of her, Lucy couldn't help the light moan that slipped out. She bit her lip timidly while they readjusted and he pulled her into his embrace and kissed her again. She had no idea how long they laid there, their lips slowly moving along one another's as they basked in the perfection of being reunited in more ways than one, but it couldn't have been more wonderful.

Freed finally pulled away, then kissed Lucy's forehead and smiled. He hadn't thought that she would want to do anything remotely close to sex when they didn't have any protection, and he especially didn't expect Lucy to allow him to go as far as they did. The experience was wholly different from every other time they had been together. Aside from how different it felt to have every inch of her gripping his bare manhood, there was the knowledge that he let his climax loose into her body. It sounded strange when he thought about it, but some deep part of him had swelled with all-encompassing love for the woman in his arms. Freed chuckled when Lucy started tracing his scars lazily, and twitched when she found a ticklish spot on his side.

Lucy's head shot up and she narrowed her eyes before brushing her fingers over the same spot. Freed bit his lower lip and twitched again. "You've got to be kidding me," she whispered in disbelief, "You're ticklish?"

Freed shook his head quickly and stifled his laughter, hoping to deny the truth of her observation, but Lucy saw right through it when she tickled him again and he laughed.

"You  _are_!" Lucy shouted with a wicked grin. She shot up and threw her leg over his, not caring that they were both still stark naked, and started tickling Freed. "Six months!" she shouted with glee, "I've been living with you for  _six months_ , and I never knew you were ticklish?!"

"Lucy!" Freed shouted as he wriggled to get away from her devilish hands. "Stop! HAHA! Please!" His hips bucked several more times before Lucy was finally thrown off of him, an excited grin spreading across her face.

Lucy lunged at him again, squealing in delight when she was able to get her hands into his sides. She absolutely adored the hysterical laughter that pealed from Freed, and she laughed right along with him.  _I'm not empty anymore,_  she thought happily.  _I'm not alone._

Freed took her momentary distraction to flip their positions and get revenge for her tickling him. He smirked down at her and said, "I seem to remember someone being  _very_  ticklish."

"You wouldn't dare," Lucy said wide-eyed, and grinning like crazy. She squealed when Freed pulled her hands up and pinned them with one of his. His free hand slowly slid down her body while his eyes drank in every inch of her bare skin, and Lucy shivered in anticipation. She bit her lip and smiled up at him innocently before a howl of laughter left her mouth. Her legs flailed, and her body twisted back and forth while she tried to wrench her hands free.

The light in Lucy's eyes was back, and Freed couldn't have been happier. It had nearly killed him to see her looking so empty before they left his father's estate, and he couldn't understand why she had been affected by his disappearance that way.  _They said she hardly ate or slept for two weeks…_  Freed stopped tickling Lucy, and furrowed his brow in thought while she caught her breath.

"Sweetie?" Lucy panted, still giggling occasionally. She looked at Freed and saw the serious expression on his face and pulled her hands from his loosened grip to sit up. "Hey, what's the matter?" she asked, running her hands through his hair.

"Why did it happen?" Freed asked quietly, more to himself than to Lucy.

"Why did  _what_  happen?" she replied, confusion lacing her voice.

Freed shook his head quickly and looked into Lucy's eyes. He hadn't realized he said anything out loud, or that he had zoned out at all. "I can't understand why you lost your ability to feel when I was gone…"

Lucy looked away from him, and down at the bed in shame and shrugged. "I don't know," she whispered. "After they took you, I just screamed and cried until the tears wouldn't come anymore. Those shackles took at least thirty minutes to disappear, but I probably laid in the snow for over an hour… Then I saw your sword and knew I had to get to the guild. While I was walking, everything just slipped away until I was empty… There wasn't any reason to feel anything if you weren't with me."

Freed lifted his hands to cup her cheeks, then raised her face to look into her eyes. "Lucy," he whispered sadly. "You have plenty of reasons to go on living life to its fullest even if I'm not there."

Lucy shook her head, and felt tears welling in her eyes. "You're my reason for living, Freed. I love you with all of my heart, and without you I'm just… empty…" Lucy sighed and closed her eyes, her brows pulling together while she tried to contain her emotions.

"Why didn't you eat?" Freed whispered.

"I couldn't taste anything. Besides, I knew that finding you would make me better, so I decided I had more important things to do," Lucy answered, wincing at her explanation. In retrospect, she should have known better: there was no way to keep her strength up if she didn't eat.

Freed laid down on the bed, pulling Lucy down with him and sighed when her head instantly nestled against his chest. His fingers trailed through her long hair, and he asked, "Is that also why you weren't sleeping?"

Lucy nodded. "I only ate a couple times that first week, and slept even less. I would usually only fall asleep in your chair while I was reading, and then wake up and get back to work… And I never slept for more than a few hours at a time. Just enough to recharge a little, I guess… I never had any dreams though, so it was more like blinking than actual sleep."

"What about the second week?"

"It got a little better…" Lucy said as she turned to look into Freed's sad eyes. "At the end of the second week, I finally realized I hadn't called Crux to have him search for information. He's much faster than I could ever be, so he was a huge help. I had been sitting in the office, reading… Wow," Lucy said with a chuckle when she realized what she had done in Freed's absence, "Now I get why Laxus kept saying I looked just like you…" Lucy laughed again and buried her blushing face in Freed's chest.

Freed chuckled a little and asked, "What do you mean?"

Lucy lifted her head again, laying her chin on his chest and tracing the scars right in front of her face. "Do you know what you look like when you're working on something?" she whispered with a smile. When Freed shook his head, she giggled. "You tuck your hair behind your ear to keep it out of your way—even though your bangs are always in front of your eye." She tucked the hair on the left side of his face behind his ear. "You usually have about three or more books in front of you while you jump from book to book looking for what you need. You get that adorable little wrinkle in between your eyebrows when you're concentrating." She lightly touched the space between his eyebrows and drew slow circles. "You sit completely straight, and on the edge of your seat, with your sleeves rolled up. And, of course, you take notes by rotating the paper when you run out of room."

It was Freed's turn to blush as he said, "I didn't realize you watched me so intently while I worked, Lucy."

Lucy grinned and nodded. "Absolutely, sweetie. I love seeing you working on things, especially when you find what you're looking for and you start smirking at the paper," she teased lightly.

Freed chuckled and kissed her forehead again before asking, "So, why would Laxus say you looked like me?"

"Oh, because that's almost exactly what I did every time I was reading in the office. I wore your shirts instead of my own since they reminded me of you, and had the sleeves rolled up. I tucked my hair behind my ear, always had four or five books in front of me... I sat up straight on the edge of the seat." Lucy giggled and said, "I even started rotating my notes!" She dropped her head again and shook it over the absurdity of it all. "The only thing I didn't do was make any facial expressions," she muttered.

Freed chuckled again and said, "It seems our team will be better off if there are two of me working together." He squeezed Lucy gently when she started giggling, and then said, "So, you were reading in the office?"

"Right, Laxus was trying to get me to eat a salad," she said. "He took how I was acting harder than anyone, and he blamed himself for not walking with us that morning like he always did. He was almost always by my side while you were gone, and I even caught him crying a few times when he wasn't in the room with me…" Lucy sighed, then laid her head down and let the tingling in her scalp from Freed's fingers running through her hair comfort her. "Laxus asked me why I wouldn't let them help me more, and after I called Crux I actually ate. He said I should sleep since I hadn't slept in two days, and that a bath would help me relax and sleep better. That was the day I told him that I knew how I was going to get you back, but I didn't have enough information to do it."

Freed nodded, but stayed silent. He wished that it hadn't been so difficult for everyone while he was missing, and he especially wished that Lucy hadn't reacted the way she had. If it hadn't been for their team, she would have starved. Her body seemed to have taken care of sleeping, but he knew that she had pushed herself too hard—that's just what Lucy did.

"So, I went upstairs and took a shower, then I grabbed my brush and let Laxus brush and braid my hair. I ended up leaning back to lay on him after he was done, but I didn't even realize it at the time, and then I fell asleep. When I woke up, he was sleeping right there in the same position we'd been in when I passed out." Lucy smiled at the memory of it. "I woke him up to let him know I was going back downstairs, and he smiled at me. He looked so happy then, like there was something that had changed that took away how sad he was all the time." Lucy paused, and felt a mountain of guilt trying to overwhelm her. "I was a horrible sister to him…"

"You were doing what you could, Lucy," Freed said softly. "I'm sure everyone understood that."

Lucy nodded. "They did, and I guess they still do." She sighed and hugged Freed tighter while she continued her story. "When I got downstairs, Gray was there with Evergreen and Bickslow. We went into the office, and he started talking to me. I added more work on top of what I was already doing to make up for the time I had spent sleeping, and ended up with nine books on the desk."

"Nine?!" Freed asked, pulling Lucy away to look worriedly at her. "Lucy, you know what overloading yourself like that can do—remember what happened to me the last time I did it on a mission?"

Lucy cringed and nodded. "You passed out and didn't wake up for a whole day… I know… I just wanted to get you back. Trust me, Laxus got me to understand what I was doing wasn't going to help anyone, especially after I had another nosebleed…"

"You were having nosebleeds?" he asked worriedly.

"Every time I tried to do too much or started thinking about too much at once… I'd had one the day before, and they only happened once every few days, but Laxus was always there to take care of me. Gray had asked me about what I would feel if I was able to, and Ever and Bix took him out of the office to try and convince him to leave instead of letting me tell him. I… I had a really bad nosebleed when he came back in, and he told them that I should try to get my emotions back so I could get over you and move on."

Freed furrowed his brow in confusion, but he pushed that to the side when he saw tears falling down Lucy's cheeks. He gently wiped them away and pulled her closer so she could lie on his chest, and started running his fingers through her hair. "I know you wouldn't do that, Lucy," he whispered, "Everyone knows that when you set your mind to something, you don't stop until you get what you've been looking for."

Lucy smiled sadly and nodded, then hugged Freed tightly. "Eventually Laxus got it to stop, and then I told Gray what he wanted to know…" Lucy spent the next several minutes telling Freed every single word she had said to Gray about how she would feel, pausing only when it was too difficult for her to talk. He had said she didn't have to say any more than she was willing to, but she wanted him to know what happened so he could help her move past how horrible she felt over it. "He was crying because I didn't stop until I had answered his question," Lucy whispered. "I did the same thing to Ever when she asked me just after you were taken… I didn't feel remorseful or anything like that, so I didn't see any reason to stop talking even though they were upset by what I was saying. He tried to apologize, and then when he tried to hug me, I cast Pain on him."

Freed's hands never stopped moving, one along her back and one through her hair while he tried to soothe her. He listened to everything she had to say, and while it broke his heart to hear what had happened, to know just how bad things were for her and their team, he knew she needed to let it out. "What happened after you cast the spell on him, Lucy?" he whispered.

"Y-You're not mad that I used it?" she asked, looking up into Freed's eyes sheepishly.

"While I might not like the fact that you used it against a guildmate, I can understand why you would do it," he answered before pressing a kiss to her forehead. "I'm not mad at you, Lucy."

"You should be…" Lucy whispered, then sighed. "After I cast the spell on him, I decided that he needed to see for himself what I would be feeling…"

"How?"

"Pain, Fear, Suffering, Desperation, and Anguish…" Lucy then told Freed everything she had said to Gray while he was under each of the spells, how she had laid them on top of each other, and that she had lost track of time and kept them going for almost an hour. "It took Laxus breaking down in front of me and telling me that I would normally show mercy for me to snap out of it," she whispered, her whole body wracked with sobs and filled to the brim with overwhelming shame. "I stopped them just before I passed out and started bleeding again—but from my nose and ears that time—but I almost killed him. I almost killed one of my friends…"

Freed was silent for a long time, letting Lucy cry it out while he held her. He could practically feel the guilt coursing through her, and knew that the only thing he could do for her was support her and try to soothe her worries. During their time together, Lucy had asked Freed to cast each of the spells she had learned on her during training; she had said that she wanted to know what she would be subjecting someone else to with the spells. He didn't like doing it, hated hearing her scream the way she had while they were in the training grounds, but he understood her reasoning and had finally relented. She had a very intimate understanding of the spells she had used, and the order that she had cast them on Gray was perfect for torturing someone for hours on end if you knew when to end the spells and had the ability to use that much magic. "It's alright, Lucy," Freed whispered, "Gray's not dead. You lost track of time, and you couldn't feel mercy for him. Everything's alright now though."

"Why don't you think I'm a horrible person, Freed?" Lucy whimpered, wiping her tears away roughly before hiding her face in his chest.

Freed smiled sadly and carefully lifted her chin until her eyes met his. "Because I know just what my magic can do. It takes a lot of self-control to handle that many spells without going overboard, and there is quite a bit of darkness that is linked with my magic inherently. It's easy to get pulled under by it, to let it take control of you and even make you lose track of how much time has passed." He paused and brought her lips to his in a tender kiss, then continued. "There were extenuating circumstances for what you did, and I know that normally you wouldn't have done anything like that to Gray. No matter how upset you get with someone, your heart is too big to cause them true harm."

"You… You really think that?" she asked hopefully, biting her lower lip and sniffling while she looked into his eyes.

"I do. I know you, and killing somebody isn't something you're normally capable of," Freed said while he brushed her hair from her face. "I promise you. I'm not upset with you. It was a mistake, and you're clearly remorseful for it. All you can do at this point is apologize to him, and let him decide if he forgives you, okay baby?"

Lucy's eyes widened and a small smile crept across her face while a blush tinted her cheeks a light pink. She nodded slowly, then said, "That's the first time you've called me 'baby' without us… you know…"

Freed chuckled and pulled her close, gently pressing his lips to her hair. "Well, Aquarius did say if it feels right," he whispered, smiling when he heard Lucy's light giggle.

"Can we not talk about that day right now?" Lucy asked after a few silent minutes. "The rest of the team was with me nonstop after what happened with Gray, so you can ask them… I don't want to think about it now."

"Of course," Freed said gently. "So, what about this past week? What was different?"

Lucy briefly explained how her emotions came back bit by bit, with the rest of their team each giving her the ability to feel one specific emotion. She told him about the information Crux had given to her, and how they had all fallen asleep in Laxus' bed—with everyone holding onto Lucy so she wouldn't be alone when she needed them the most. Then, Lucy explained everything that happened at the guild the next day, from talking with Makarov to Christophe's letter, and finally how she had figured everything out based on his letter to her. "Every night for the past week, Bickslow and Evergreen have been cuddling while they sleep," Lucy said while she started laughing. "Laxus got a picture of it and gave it to Mira for blackmail." When Freed laughed, she sighed happily. Lucy paused for a moment, then said, "You know, if it wasn't for everyone else I never would have gotten you back."

"How so?"

"Well, the team took care of me no matter what, and they tried to help me research and got more books for me when I told them what I needed. Levy was researching at the guild, but she only found a few books that might help and had them sent to the house. Crux found the information on your family I asked for, Capricorn had the engagement contract—apparently, he didn't want to let me know about it unless it was necessary. Laxus slept next to me every night, got me to eat, did everything he possibly could to take care of me when I couldn't do it myself. Evergreen was so sad all the time, but she always gave me hope that things would work out. Bickslow used his Figure Eyes on me when we left Magnolia so that I could get past the runes that Eden put up around town to keep us from coming after you."

"She put up runes around the city?" Freed asked incredulously.

Lucy giggled and nodded. "Pretty much. We couldn't search for you. Any time someone tried to leave Magnolia with the intent to look for you anywhere in their minds, they would get electrocuted. So, when Crux found the information I asked for, I decided that we should get out of town before I tried to figure anything else out. We took a mission in Acalypha, and Bix used his magic so my mind would hardly be functioning, but I refused to tell anyone what was going on until the train stopped. Once we were done with the mission, Capricorn contacted me the same way Aquarius did that night you and I kissed, and had us go to my parents' graves. He gave me the information Crux had found since I still hadn't read it, along with the engagement contract, and I read through everything there. Afterwards, I had set up a mission here in town so we would have a reason to be in the area, and we've been here for the past week. Hisui arranged the meeting with your father as a favor to me, and of course Virgo helped us all get ready."

Freed nodded and thought for a moment, then shored up his courage. "I have a question for you, Lucy."

Lucy lifted her head and smiled softly at him. "And what might that be?"

Freed's face was set in his concentration, and he asked, "How do you feel about that contract, anyway? The one our parents signed when we were kids…"

Lucy's eyes widened in shock. She was wondering when he was going to bring it up, but she didn't think it would be so soon. Freed's face was completely closed off, so she couldn't tell what he was thinking either. "Um… I don't know. I hate that I can't remember our parents even knowing each other, especially because that means that you and I must have known each other. I hate the concept of being promised to someone without having a say in the matter, since that's what my father was trying to do when I came to Fairy Tail," she mused. "But…"

Freed froze. He could understand her not wanting to be contracted off like some object. It was a tradition he entirely despised, and a part of him was upset that his parents had done something like that when he was still so young. However, he also had fallen in love with the woman that he was technically engaged to, so in his eyes it wasn't all bad. When Lucy made no move to speak, clearly lost in thought while she tried to figure out what she felt concerning their forced engagement, he said, "But?"

Lucy shook her head, then smiled apologetically at Freed. "Sorry… I don't like that it was made,  _but_ … I also love you, and if the past three weeks are any indication, I clearly can't live without you in my life." She smiled softly at Freed before pressing a sweet kiss to his bare chest.

Freed contained his smile as best as he could and nodded. "Sit up and close your eyes, Lucy." He chuckled when she raised an eyebrow at him, but they both sat up and she draped the sheets over her legs. He stood up and made sure her eyes were closed before walking over to his discarded jacket.  _It seems that Virgo is one perceptive spirit,_  Freed thought with a smile as he pulled the ring box out of his jacket. That morning when he had gotten dressed, he pulled the picture out of his pocket to look at Lucy one more time before starting his day and counting the hours until he saw her. When he put it back, he felt something else in the pocket, and was surprised to see the box sitting there. Based on the fact that the picture he'd been given only existed in two places, and that he didn't recognize the handwriting, he figured it must have been from Lucy's spirits. The addition of the box in his jacket had him smiling when he figured out exactly who had done it: Virgo, the spirit that popped out any time Lucy needed something with everything ready to go. He had no clue how Virgo had known he was going to propose to Lucy, but it was definitely worth it now that he had just what he needed.

Lucy sighed with a smile on her face, her eyes still closed while she heard Freed rummaging around in the room for something. She giggled when he sat on the bed behind her and pushed her hair over one shoulder to kiss her back.

"I have a riddle for you," Freed said with a smile as he started massaging her back after setting the box on the bed next to his leg. His fingers moved in small circles over her tense muscles, and he could tell that she really had been sitting in his chair for far too long—every muscle of his that was usually tense after sitting for a prolonged period of time was tense and knotted in her back.

"Mmm," Lucy hummed happily. "I do love a challenge."

Freed chuckled and kissed her shoulder before saying, "A knock on the door in the middle of the night wakes you up. When you answer the door, you find our team standing there asking you to make them something to eat. You only have a few ingredients available: jam, honey, wine, bread, and cheese. What is the first thing you open?"

Lucy giggled and shook her head. "If our team showed up in the middle of the night asking me to cook for them, I'd Lucy Kick them all the way to Bosco."

Freed laughed and nodded. "I can just picture the looks on their faces when they landed…"

Lucy hummed in thought, her head dropping while Freed found the last of her knots and got rid of them.  _Let's see,_  she thought,  _Maybe I'd open the jam so that I could put it on the bread. Well, I'd have to open the bread first to toast it. Wait, if I answer the door… I'd have to open it, and that would be before I knew I had to cook._

Once Freed was finished, Lucy leaned back and sighed contentedly as her head rested on his chest. He peeked down and smirked when her eyes were still closed.

Lucy smiled when Freed's arms wrapped around her, and she snuggled closer to him. "I think I have the answer, Freed."

"And, what is your answer, Lucy?" Freed asked softly, nuzzling her hair with his nose.

"The first thing I would open would be my eyes. If the knocking woke me up, then I would have to open my eyes before I could do anything else," Lucy said proudly.

"Then maybe you should open them," Freed whispered, his heart pounding loudly in his chest.

Lucy giggled and opened her eyes, ready with a comeback about Freed choosing more difficult riddles. Then her mouth dropped open and she gasped. In Freed's hand was a small open box with red velvet surrounding the most beautiful gold ring she had ever seen in her life; it was absolutely breathtaking. In the center, was a perfectly cut ruby that caught the light in just the right way to look like the center of a rose, and there were six smaller elongated rubies that formed the outer petals around it and even smaller emeralds adorning the carved leaves that ran across the sides of the ring. The ring sloped gracefully down to join with the band, and on both slopes were carved roses with small rubies in the center. "F-Freed…" Lucy whispered. She felt a single tear trickle down her cheek as she stared at the ring.

Freed kissed her shoulder again. "Lucy, will you marry me?" he asked softly. He was more nervous than ever as he waited for her response, and he could feel her shaking in his arms. He started to get concerned when he heard her sniffle, and almost asked what was wrong.

"Y-Yes…" Lucy said with a smile stretching wide across her face. "Of course!"

Freed let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding and carefully pulled the ring from the box. He pulled up Lucy's left hand and slowly slid the ring onto her slender finger, grinning widely when he saw just how perfect it was.

Lucy looked down at her hand for a moment and felt like she was complete, and knew that it had everything to do with the man who held her. Lucy quickly turned around in his arms and gave Freed a watery, but ecstatic smile. She slowly lifted her hands to his face and pulled him into a tender kiss as she straddled his lap.

Freed's hands slid up Lucy's back to cup her neck. They separated from the kiss, both smiling at each other, and he brushed away her tears, then kissed her nose.

Before Freed or Lucy could say anything, there was a faint click of the lock on the door and it swung open to reveal Laxus calling, "Better be decent in there! I'm ope—" Laxus paused in the doorway with wide eyes then covered them instantly and screamed, "Shit! My fucking eyes! Oh god… I really didn't need to see that…"

Lucy squeaked and quickly scrambled to sit next to Freed and cover herself with the blanket, clutching it tightly to her chest. "Goddamnit, Laxus! Knock next time!" she shouted, hiding her blushing face in her hands while she heard Bickslow cackling in the hallway.

Freed watched Lucy sit down as innocently as possible as if she had just been caught doing something very, very wrong, and then chuckled and pulled the blanket up over his hips with a blush on his face. "It's safe, Laxus."

Laxus carefully uncovered his eyes and shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll knock in the future… I  _really_  don't wanna see you guys naked." He looked around the room, seeing the tattered remains of Lucy's dress and undergarments thrown everywhere, her corset hanging on the dresser, and even Freed's clothes tossed in random directions. "Damn, Freed. Way to tear her clothes off," he said with a chuckle as he pulled one of Lucy's stockings off of a lampshade before it caught on fire.

Lucy's eyes widened when Bickslow and Evergreen happily walked into the room behind Laxus before closing the door.  _Oh my Mavis… Kill me now…_

Bickslow grinned at the couple on the bed, noticing just how many marks they were sporting, before he sat down at the small dining table with Laxus. "Alright, Cosplayer. Showed Freed what he was missing, huh?"

Evergreen rolled her eyes and smacked both of the men with her fan. "Stop being perverted!" she scolded. "I'm sorry about them, guys."

Lucy and Freed sweatdropped at how oblivious Evergreen could be. "Thanks, Ever," Lucy mumbled.

"So, we were thinking that we should all probably head back to Magnolia and report in with Gra—" Laxus started to say, then paused and looked at Lucy in confusion. "Sis, what's that?" he asked.

"Huh?" Lucy replied, tilting her head to the side.

"On your hand," Laxus said softly, his eyes widening and a smile creeping across his face. He glanced quickly at Freed and saw the proud smile on the Rune mage, then a subtle nod.

Lucy looked down and blushed, then smiled back up at the rest of their team. "Oh, this old thing?" she asked playfully, laying her head on Freed's shoulder and holding her hand up to admire her ring.

"OH MY MAVIS!" Evergreen screeched. She danced around in circles and fluttered herself with her fan before relaxing and looking incredulously at Freed. "You… And you… You're…" She grinned and finally passed out from a mental overload.

The other four mages burst out into laughter at the Fairy mage's reaction. Bickslow looked at Freed and Lucy for a second, and gave them a genuine smile. "Pretty lucky, Cosplayer. I'm pretty sure you're engaged to the one guy Laxus won't pummel into the ground for looking at you," he said.

Laxus nodded in agreement. "He's right. Then again… I did just catch you guys all kinds of naked in bed together. Do I need to protect your honor?" he asked with a playful grin on his face.

Lucy giggled and said, "Aww, big bwudder Waxus is all over-pwotective of wittle ol' me?"

"Oi, watch it, Blondie!" Laxus shouted, glaring at her even though his amusement was clear in the smile on his face. "At least we know that Freed's dad approves."

Lucy blushed and Freed chuckled. "This is true," Freed said with a smile. "I think he would have tried to get me to marry you if that contract hadn't already been signed before. Especially after you spoke to him the way you did."

"It wasn't that bad!" Lucy shouted.

Freed wrapped an arm around her shoulders and nodded. "You're right, it wasn't bad. But no one has ever confused him more than once in a meeting before. Add to that the fact that you wrote out two contracts without a single loophole. And the threat to destroy his business—no, his entire existence—while you were smiling like Mira. And quoting a whole passage from the book he wrote his thesis on to prove him wrong. And not showing a single emotion when Avery started speaking ill of you. And your friendship with the Princess of Fiore. And the Spirit King. And—"

"Alright, alright," Lucy giggled, poking the ticklish spot on Freed's side. When he jumped and pulled his arm away, Lucy laughed before saying, "You know, that Spirit King part was a bit of a stretch… Everything's in the Spirit World, but I haven't talked to Stache Face in a while… It was more of Capricorn and Leo talking to him about it, and him agreeing to hold onto everything. I wonder how he's doing…"

Everyone's jaws dropped. "The fact that you're even wondering something like that just backs up your case," Laxus said. "You make it sound like you guys were best friends back in the day."

Lucy shook her head and laughed. "Nah, but he really is a pretty cool guy. If you can get over him being all gigantic and kingly!"

They all laughed and joked around for a bit, the awkwardness of Freed and Lucy's lack of clothing completely forgotten. After a while, Bickslow looked at Lucy's soul, and grinned. "Cosplayer, your soul's back to normal now."

"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.

"I've been keeping an eye on it since Freed was taken," Bickslow said, the smile never leaving his face. "It was barely an outline on Christmas, like the center of it was ripped out and you only had a shell. Then the last few weeks it's gotten a little better, and came back pretty steadily once we got to this town. When you and Freed kissed earlier, it all came back, and now it's brighter than ever!"

Lucy grinned at Bickslow and said, "I guess that's why I could feel everything since that kiss. It's wonderful… I never realized how empty I was before everything came back."

"No worries, Blondie. You're all better now," Laxus said with a smirk. "More than better if all those screams earlier were any indication."

Lucy dropped her head to her hands, then squeaked when the blanket started sliding down her chest. She quickly readjusted it and then maneuvered so she was hidden behind Freed. "Pervert," Lucy muttered.

"I'm not the one trying to show everybody my tits, Blondie," Laxus shot back.

"Well… No one wants to see  _your_  tits!" Lucy shouted.

Laxus' jaw dropped, and he almost got offended until he realized what Lucy had said. He dropped his head and burst out laughing while everyone else tried to hold in their laughter. "Touchè, sis… Tou-fucking-chè."

"You guys are so weird," Evergreen muttered when she sat up.

"Ever, you passed out from finding out they got engaged… When they've technically been engaged for years," Bickslow said.

"True…" Evergreen mused, then turned to Lucy and Freed. "Freed, where'd you get the ring?"

Freed blushed and said, "It's been passed down in my family for generations. I was planning on proposing when Lucy and I returned home on Christmas night, but…"

Lucy lightly rubbed her hand over Freed's back. "There was a change of plans," she added softly. "Were you going to have me answer that riddle?"

Freed shook his head and smiled. "No, I just thought of it while were laying here," he said with a chuckle.

"Another riddle?" Evergreen asked excitedly.

Lucy nodded. "He had me close my eyes and I guess that's when he went to get the ring. Then he came back and gave me a back massage while I tried to figure out the answer. I told him that it was "Open my eyes" and he said I should do it. And, BAM! There was the ring," she recounted happily, wrapping her arms around Freed's waist and kissing his shoulder.

"Aww, so sweet!" Evergreen gushed.

Laxus looked at the time and smirked before standing up. "Well, we'll be taking the train out of here at five. So, you guys have some time…" He gave them a lecherous smirk before standing up. "I'm getting the hell out of here until then… I could hear you guys at the front desk… With my music blasting in my ears…"

"Ass," Lucy muttered.

Laxus lifted his hand into the air as he reached the door, extending his middle finger back to the feisty blonde. "Love ya, sis!" he shouted as he walked out, followed shortly by Evergreen and Bickslow who were arguing about Mavis only knows what.

Once the door was closed and locked, Freed turned his head to look at Lucy. "You can stop hiding now. They're gone."

Lucy giggled and moved back to sit next to Freed before throwing her leg back over his and smirking at him. "Well, we've got some time…" she purred, leaning in to run her tongue along the shell of his ear.

"We do," Freed agreed, slowly leaning back against the headboard with his hands on Lucy's hips, his thumbs drawing slow circles on her bare skin.

"I think I know just how to spend it," she whispered as she leaned down and captured Freed's lips with hers.

* * *

The guild was bustling with activity as everyone prepared for Freed's return. Laxus had called Makarov after they left Freed and Lucy to get "reacquainted" and told the older man what time they would be back. He conveniently left out how Lucy had gotten Freed back, along with the fact that they were engaged in more ways than one, and only said that she had ripped into Freed's dad and that everything was settled; along with letting Makarov know that the one to truly blame for what had happened to Freed was his youngest brother, Avery.

"Thank you so much, Droy," Mira chirped as she looked out across the hall. "It's perfect." She paused and glanced up at the rafters, then smiled when she saw Natsu and Gray working together to put up more decorations. Wendy was throwing out small gusts of air to push the decorations into the air, then Happy, Carla, and Pantherlily would catch them and hand them to the rivals. Gajeel was grinning like crazy while he set out tablecloths, and Lisanna was back in the kitchen with Kinana and Laki while they worked on the feast for the party.

"It's a good thing it's still snowing," Erza said in passing while she carried several crates from a back room filled with more decorations.

"Yes," Mira said with a smile. "This is going to be perfect…" She glanced at the clock, and saw that they had less than ten minutes to go until the Raijinshuu returned to the guild.  _Thank Mavis Laxus called me while they were on the train to tell me what time they would be here._  "Happy!" Mira yelled out over the noise of their guildmates, "Go keep an eye out for them, they should be here soon!"

"Aye sir!" Happy yelled, then flew out the guild doors to wait for everyone to get back.

* * *

"I don't understand why we need to go to the guild today," Lucy sighed. "I love them, but I just want to go home."

Freed chuckled and pulled Lucy closer while his arm wrapped around her waist. "We'll have all the time in the world to spend at home, Lucy."

"Seriously," Laxus said with a smirk, "Haven't you guys fucked enough times today?  _Breathe_ , little sis… You're gonna kill Freed with that kind of appetite."

While Bickslow cackled and Evergreen smacked the Seith mage with her fan, Lucy smirked back at Laxus and said, "A few things you should know,  _big brother._  One: no, we have not  _'fucked enough'_  today—I've got three whole weeks to make up for." She giggled when Laxus stumbled on what he will forever claim was a huge rock in the road. "Two: my insatiability is Freed's fault to begin with. Three: it's definitely  _not_  going to kill him, because he's worse than I am!"

Freed was blushing up a storm but kept quiet while he watched everyone go silent.

"And four," Lucy said with a wide grin, "Freed can take it, he's got stamina and—"

"And, that's enough of that topic," Freed said quickly while he covered Lucy's mouth.

Everyone was silent for another moment before all five mages ended up laughing hysterically. "Damn, Laxus," Bickslow said with his tongue-wagging grin, "Cosplayer's just handing out punishments today."

Lucy pulled Freed's hand down and quickly yelled, "Punishments are Virgo's specialty, not mine!"

Everyone laughed again, and Evergreen said, "That's true, but she's always asking  _you_  for punishment, so clearly you must be good at it." She smirked at Freed and said, "Tell us about it, Freed. We're here for you."

When Freed blushed again and shook his head while he laughed—fully enjoying how happy he was now that he was back, even if it was an intensely uncomfortable conversation—Laxus cut in and said, "Please don't talk about that… I really don't need a mental picture of my little sister as a dominatrix."

"Oh, but—" Evergreen tried to say, until Laxus glared at her.

"Ever, you do realize that Laxus got a picture of you and Bix cuddling while you were asleep, right?" Lucy asked. When Evergreen and Bickslow stopped dead in their tracks, she added, "Mira's got it…"

"Fucking kill me now," Bickslow whispered, dropping his head in defeat.

"Seriously," Evergreen agreed, "Bickslow, you kill me, and I'll kill you afterwards…"

"I don't think it works that way," Freed sweatdropped.

"LUSHYYYYYYY!" Happy yelled as he quickly flew towards the approaching group. When he was only a few feet away from the now-bubbly blonde he loved, he stopped altogether and looked uncertainly at her.

"Aww, hi Happy!" Lucy said with a wide smile. "Come here, I haven't given you a proper hug in a long time."

Tears welled in the blue Exceed's eyes and he flew forward into Lucy's chest. "I missed you so much, Lucy! And Freed, and everyone!" he cried dramatically. He looked over at Freed while Lucy stroked his fur and sniffled, then said, "Don't go away again… It wasn't the same without you and Lucy."

Freed smiled down at Happy and lightly petted his head. "I have no intention of leaving again, Happy. You have my word."

Happy grinned, then looked up at Lucy expectantly.

Lucy rolled her eyes, though only her normal eye was visible, and laughed. "No worries, Happy. I'm all better, and I plan on staying that way for good." When Happy hugged tighter to her, she said, "Happy, has Carla accepted a fish from you yet?"

"No," Happy said sadly.

"Well, how about you buy her a super special fish when we get to the guild? Maybe she'll be so happy that things are going to be okay that she'll take it! My treat!" Lucy said, kissing the top of his head.

"You really think so?"

"You won't know until you try," Lucy answered. "Besides, once she accepts the first one it'll be  _much_  easier to get her to take another later on. You'll get there, little buddy."

"Aye!" Happy shouted. "I'm gonna go get her that fish!"

Everyone smiled at the Exceed as he flew into the guild just as the doors were closing. Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow looked expectantly at the happy couple, and finally Laxus said, "Well, you guys ready to see everyone?"

Lucy nodded with a smile and looked over to Freed. "Most definitely," he answered. "We've been gone far too long."

Laxus nodded to Evergreen and Bickslow, all three of them having full knowledge of what the guild had planned for Freed's return, and the two opened the guild doors wide as they ushered the couple inside.

Lucy's and Freed's jaws dropped while they grinned at the transformation of the guildhall. It was three weeks after Christmas, but every single Christmas decoration had been put up. There was even a large tree over by the bar with mounds of presents underneath it. "Wh-What is all this?" Lucy asked breathlessly, never letting go of Freed while they slowly made their way to the crowd standing in front of the bar.

Makarov smiled at the Raijinshuu as they came inside, Lucy and Freed entering first with Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow walking just behind them. After everyone had shouted out their unified greetings, Makarov cleared his throat and said, "Freed, welcome home." There was a round of cheers, and when it died down he continued. "Lucy, we are happy to hear you're feeling better, and even happier that you were successful in returning him to us."

"Thank you, Master," Lucy whispered with happy tears in her eyes. "What's going on, though?"

Mira stepped forward and said, "Well, Freed was taken away on Christmas before we got to open any presents, and when you came in we all realized it just wouldn't be the same without you two. No one was willing to try and be happy while you and your team were suffering so much, so we put away all of the decorations that day and decided we wouldn't celebrate Christmas until our  _entire_  family was here to celebrate with us."

"M-Mira," Lucy cried, tears finally falling freely down her cheeks. She looked up at Freed and saw that even he was tearing up while he smiled at everyone. "Everyone, you d-didn't have t-to…"

Gray made his way slowly to the front of the crowd and stood right in front of Lucy and Freed, still staying at a safe distance even though Happy had told them that he was able to hug Lucy and she was back to normal. "We did," he said with a soft smile. "You were right… We didn't do anything to help you get him back, and that's our fault. I even made it worse that day when I came to see you. It wouldn't have been the same without you to celebrate with us, and we couldn't bear the thought of even trying." He paused and looked from Freed to Lucy, then sighed and said, "Lucy, I'm sorry for what I did—for getting too close when everyone told me not to, and for ignoring you all this time. And for what I said to you. I was being selfish, just wanting you to get better so I didn't feel like a horrible friend—even though that's all I've been to you for the past year. I should never have said that you should get over Freed and move on with your life, and I don't know if you'll ever forgive me for it, but—"

Lucy reached out and took Gray's hand, then stepped away from Freed to pull the Ice Make mage into a tender hug. "I forgive you, Gray," she whispered. "I wasn't myself, and I'm sorry for hurting you that day… and for almost killing you… You know I'd never—"

Gray chuckled and locked his arms around Lucy while he hugged her tightly. "I know, Lucy. I forgive you, too." He pulled away and sniffled lightly while trying to wipe away his own tears, then watched with a smile as Lucy immediately tucked herself back into Freed's side.

"Well, what do you all say to starting our Christmas party?!" Makarov shouted with a wide grin. There was a large round of cheers from the guild and everyone instantly started mingling, and congratulating the happy couple on Freed's safe return.

* * *

After several hours of talking with everyone, eating more than they could handle, and just having a grand time in general, Mira silently walked up to Lucy with a wide smile. "Sooooooooo," she crooned. "How long are you going to make me wait until you explain why there's a ring on that finger?"

Lucy and Freed blushed, but it was Laxus that started talking as he pulled Mira into his lap. "Oh, these two?" he asked loudly, gaining everyone's attention, "They've been engaged since they were kids!"

"WHAT?!" everyone shouted in unison.

Lucy giggled and nodded while she laid her head on Freed's shoulder, lacing the fingers of her left hand with those on his right and looking lovingly at her ring. "He proposed earlier today, Mira," she said softly, knowing the news would travel faster than humanly possible regardless of how softly she spoke. "But, yes. Our parents arranged a marriage when we were little. Neither of us knew about it until recently."

"How recently?" Mira asked.

"Lucy found out after leaving Magnolia, and I found out when she revealed the contract to my father," Freed said softly, then kissed Lucy's hair.

Lucy saw that Mira wanted to ask more questions, but she didn't feel like thinking about what had happened that afternoon. "I'll tell you all about it some other time, Mira," she said happily. "What's important is that Freed got to propose to me on Christmas, just like he wanted!"

Freed chuckled and nodded. "Well, since we're celebrating it today, then I guess you're right."

"AWWWWW!" Mira screeched. "He proposed on Christmas!"

There was a resounding "Awwww" heard from every female member of the guild, causing both Freed and Lucy to blush again. Makarov grinned at the happiness radiating from his children, then shouted, "TIME FOR PRESENTS!"

Luckily, the guild had created a complex system for handing out presents several years ago when the mad rush to find any presents addressed to a single mage had nearly crushed a few of the younger members. All of the S-Class mages would gather every present and hand them to their addressees until the tree was left bare, and then the mages themselves could open their presents at their leisure—either doing it at the guild or taking them home to be opened later. Of course, because it was Fairy Tail, there was a massive mountain of gift wrap and discarded paper that would eventually become an area to play in, so most people opened their presents right away to make sure to add to that pile.

Lucy sighed happily once they were almost done unwrapping their presents, and she loved each and every gift she'd gotten from her guildmates. Levy had given her the business card of a publisher that had read Lucy's manuscript and wanted to meet with her to discuss her future as an author; Erza gave her and Freed two tickets to Akane Resort for a weekend getaway; Natsu and Gajeel gave her a newer and sturdier key ring, with Gajeel providing the metal and Natsu superheating it so they could layer the metal again and again to make it as lightweight as possible while retaining the strength of the Slayer's iron; Makarov, Lisanna, Cana, Gildarts, Evergreen, and Bickslow all gave her two keys each—equaling a dozen new spirits for her to make contracts with; her spirits gave her a sword that was similar to Freed's, but it channeled the ranged attacks of any one spirit she chose (which Capricorn had swiftly informed her that she would need to train to control it better). Gray and Juvia gave her a rose made of ice that was the size of her cupped hands, which they assured her would never melt; in the center of it, the very core of the blooming petals, was an ice-encapsulated globe of swirling water that Juvia explained was actually a portion of the water that made up her own body. Mira had found copies of every picture that Lucy had lost when her home was destroyed, and made several photo albums out of them and every picture she could find that had either Lucy or Freed in them (or both). Laxus had already given her the red fur-lined coat when the weather cooled down, but he surprised her with a golden heart-shaped necklace that had a small lightning lacrima in the center of it.

"There's still one more," Freed said softly as they watched the rest of their team with their significant others. Evergreen and Elfman were cuddling in the opposite corner of the guild, Bickslow and Cana were drinking with Gildarts and Makarov, and Laxus was dancing in the center of the guild with Mira to a slow song. Freed carefully handed Lucy the large wrapped envelope and kissed her gently just before she opened it.

"Hm," Lucy said with a smile, "I wonder who this could be from. Gorgeous penmanship, written in this  _strange_  code that says, 'I love you'…" She peeked at Freed with a smirk and said, "I guess I'll never know." Then she opened it. She read through the papers in her hands, and her mouth dropped open in shock. "F-Freed… You…"

"I didn't know what else I could give you," he said softly, "So I had your name added to the deed of my house. We've lived together the entire time we've been dating, but I wanted you to know that I wish to share everything with you. Originally, you were supposed to open this and then I was going to propose to you when we were at home." He chuckled. "However, it seems that we've taken a slightly less traditional route yet again."

"This is… amazing," Lucy whispered through her tears.

"So, Lucy… Would you like to officially move in with me?" Freed asked while she turned and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Yes, Freed," Lucy replied with a watery smile. "You and I can't seem to catch a break, huh? We just don't do anything in order."

"That's very true, Lucy," Freed whispered. "If anyone can create chaos in my life and make it so that I don't mind it at all, but embrace it wholeheartedly, it's you. All you have to do is sign the paperwork, and I'll submit it tomorrow."

"Later," Lucy said with a sniffle. "I still have to give you your present. I can't wait to see what you think of it." Lucy pulled away slightly and grabbed a large box with a small envelope taped to the top. "Here, it's actually two gifts."

Freed raised an eyebrow at her, then carefully opened the envelope. Inside of it was a receipt along with a note.  _Merry Christmas, Freed. After a lot of thought, I figured the best thing to get for you was something I know you'll cherish forever. Here's a receipt for your present; Virgo has already set everything up at the house._ Freed tilted his head to the side, then looked at the receipt and instantly dropped it. "How did you…"

Lucy giggled and picked up the receipt, then said, "I saved up a little here and there from our missions and got in contact with a few collectors." She looked down at the small paper and grinned as she said, "Three-thousand four hundred and fifteen books, all dating back at least a century. From lost magic to archaic runes, forgotten languages to lore, and almost anything else you can think of. I know how much you love knowledge, and the majority of these are the only ones in existence now."

"Thank you," Freed whispered, still completely in shock. "I don't even have the words to describe this…"

Lucy giggled again and pulled Freed into a sweet kiss, her lips lingering on his for as long as possible before she finally pulled away. "Well, open your other present. I'm sure it'll give you an idea of how you can thank me."

Freed looked down at the still-wrapped box in his lap, then cautiously up at Lucy. As carefully as if the box was set to detonate at any second, he pulled away the wrapping and slowly opened the box only to quickly shut it again and stare at her with wide eyes. "I think I know  _exactly_  how to thank you, Lucy," he said while he gazed longingly at her, the hunger evident in his green orbs. "This is a wonderful present."

Lucy blushed and bit her lower lip, then whispered, "I hoped you'd like it." Lucy squealed when Freed's lips crashed onto hers, his tongue roughly invading her in the most outrageous form of public displays of affection either of them had been involved in. She was pinned to the couch, her back slightly arching over the arm while he pressed closer to her. They moaned in unison when her hands tangled in his hair, tilting his head to deepen the kiss, and his hands sent a tingling sensation running through her when they started slowly caressing her back.

"Get the fuck off my sister, Freed!" Laxus shouted across the guild hall, alerting everyone in attendance to what was happening with the couple in the corner. Laxus choked on his beer when two distinctly different hands with guild marks, one in pink and one in green, shot up with only a middle finger extended while the pair kept kissing.

"Holy shit," Bickslow cackled, "Cosplayer's such a bad influence on him!"

"Nah," Cana slurred, "I'm sure he's always had it in him."

"He probably knows that Laxus won't kill him as long as he keeps her happy," Gildarts mused.

When Laxus saw the pair roll so that Lucy was sitting on Freed's lap, still ignoring everyone in the room, he rolled his eyes with a smirk and sent out a small jolt of electricity right into her ass. "Cut that shit out! Fiancée or not, you're gonna damage my retinas!"

Lucy pulled away with a squeak, then gave Freed one more swift kiss on the lips before she jumped off of his lap and rushed at Laxus. "How many times do I have to tell you not to shock me, you overgrown outlet?!" she yelled, tackling Laxus to the floor with a grin on her face.

_"Did she just…"_

_"What the hell?"_

Murmurs and laughter could be heard throughout the guild while everyone watched in utter shock at the two blonde's antics. Makarov, never having seen them acting like this, spit his beer all over the place from his seat on the bar.

"Who are you calling an overgrown outlet, Blondie?!" Laxus yelled, struggling to get away from Lucy while she tried to pin his hands to the ground. "And when the fuck did you get this strong?!"

Lucy cackled maniacally when she gave up on pinning his hands and dove right into tickling him. When he started howling with laughter, bucking his hips and thrashing every which way to dislodge her, Lucy's thighs tightened around him and she shouted, "Awww, big bwudder is all tick-wish? Uh-oh! Widdle Wucy's tick-wing you, Waxus!"

"Oh dear," Mira giggled, placing a hand over her mouth and glancing at Evergreen to silently communicate that the Fairy mage needed to get her camera out.

"Goddamnit, sis!" Laxus shouted through his laughter, tears streaming down his face, "Fuckin' stop!" When she made it clear she wasn't stopping any time soon, he yelled, "I'm gonna fucking kill you!"

"Nuh-uh!" Lucy taunted, quickly pulling his soundpods off of him and jumping away, then dangling them in the air while he caught his breath. "Missing something?"

Laxus lifted his head and his eyes widened before he glared at her. "Give 'em back, Blondie," he warned as she put them around her neck the same way he always had them while he wasn't listening to his music.

_"She's lost her damn mind…"_

_"They're both insane…"_

_"This is priceless."_

Lucy grinned and yelled, "Come and get me, Sparky!" She turned around and ran through the guild, laughing with reckless abandon as she dodged between tables and their stunned guildmates. "Don't you cheat, Laxus!" she shouted when she heard a crackle of lightning as his steps started to quicken.

"C'mon, Cosplayer!" Bickslow shouted, beckoning her over to him at the bar.

Lucy quickly redirected and lunged at Bickslow, laughing when he vaulted her into the air. Her laughter quickly turned into a shriek of terror when Laxus appeared right in front of her, streaking through the air in his lightning form and grabbing her before heading back to the ground.

Laxus held Lucy by her ankle, dangling her in the air triumphantly while he pulled the soundpods from her neck. "I warned you," he chuckled darkly.

"Laxus, put me down!" she yelled. She squawked when he dropped her to the ground, and was instantly back on her feet, jumping onto his back while he turned to walk away. Her legs wrapped around his waist, her arms around his neck, and she tried to throw him off balance with everything she had.

"You keep this shit up, I'm gonna bite you," Laxus shouted while he turned to glare at her.

"If you bite me, I'll rip your teeth out and hang them on the wall as a trophy!"

"Good luck with that, Pipsqueak!"

"Watch me, Thunder Butt!" Lucy shouted.

Everyone was utterly confused by that point, except for the Raijinshuu. They had all been able to witness this exact same interaction between Laxus and Lucy countless times before Freed was taken, and it warmed their hearts to see it happening again.

After turning in circles and failing miserably at dislodging Lucy, Laxus sighed and said, "What do I have to do to get you off of me? You're like a fucking leech back there…"

Lucy grinned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, then laid her head on his shoulder and said, "I want a piggyback ride."

"What are you, five?" Laxus asked, though he still placed his hands on her legs and adjusted her as she started to slip off of him.

"Nope!" Lucy chirped, "Six and a half, thank you very much!"

Laxus chuckled and shook his head, completely forgetting that they were in the guild—or just not caring because Lucy was back to normal. "Where to?"

"Hmmm," Lucy hummed, then smiled softly when she saw Freed smiling back at her. "Take me to the man of my dreams, my valiant steed!"

Laxus rolled his eyes and walked back over to where Freed and Lucy had been sitting before she attacked him. Once they were in front of the clearly amused Rune mage, Laxus carefully helped Lucy get down, then pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head. "Love you, little sis… Even if you're a brat sometimes."

Lucy smiled up at Laxus and whispered, "Love you too, big brother. Thanks for taking such good care of me." She pouted when he ruffled her hair as he walked away, then sat back down next to Freed and curled up next to him.

Freed smirked and lightly laced his fingers with hers, running his thumb over her guild mark. "It's good to see you enjoying yourself again, Lucy," he whispered.

"I could say the same to you," she said softly while looking deeply into his eyes. "So, you were saying something about liking your present?"

Freed smirked, pulling her closer so he could whisper into her ear. "I'll like it even more when I can see you wearing it… And then while I'm slowly pulling each and every piece off of you."

_'Lingerie… Dark green, sheer, lace lingerie with purple garters. Lucy, you are truly an angel.'_


	15. Christmas Present

Freed sat in the plush leather reading chair by the fireplace in the den, waiting with barely contained desire as Lucy got herself changed. He held one of his many new books in his hands, trying to read to pass the time, but he couldn't focus on the words in front of him. No matter how badly the scholar within wanted to delve into the inked pages and soak up every bit of knowledge the tome offered on ancient runes, all Freed could do was picture just how delectable the woman he loved was going to look. He already knew that the Christmas present she had gotten for him would look exponentially better than what his imagination could supply, but he couldn't stop himself from making the attempt. With each passing second, it became more and more difficult for him to stay seated. He was already painfully aroused by the mere thought of Lucy in lingerie, and when movement in the archway that led to the rest of their home caught his eye, the air in his lungs rushed out and left him staring slack-jawed while he hungrily gazed at his beautiful blonde fiancée.

Lucy slowly eyed every inch of Freed in that leather chair. Only his jacket, sword, and boots were missing from his usual attire, and the flickering light of the fire seemed to make his lustful eyes gleam with dark and delicious promises. She could see his breathing stutter and fought against covering herself when his eyes lingered on her hips and breasts. Of course she was comfortable with Freed seeing her body, and nearly always had been, but his expression was one of purely carnal desire the likes of which he had never directed at her before. It made her feel utterly exposed in a way she had never known possible, as though he was seeing right into her soul and scrutinizing every bit of her with those gleaming green eyes of his. Lightly nibbling her lip, Lucy reached over and turned on the stereo with the flick of a switch, feeling her nerves slowly evaporating as one of their favorite classical pieces started sounding through the speakers. Her hand slid sensuously down the wall and she took slow and deliberate steps toward Freed.

Freed's eyes devoured every dangerous curve, every utterly lickable inch of Lucy's body as she stalked closer with the grace of a deadly predator moving in for the kill. From the dark purple stilettos that made a soft clacking noise on the wooden floor until she got to the rug, he drank in the sight of her perfectly slender legs covered in sheer black thigh high stockings with purple garters clasped at the top to connect them to the rest of her outfit. And what an outfit it was. Dark green lace covered her sex in a skimpy triangle with two thin strings wrapping around her hips to meet between her perfectly rounded cheeks. A corset with minimal boning, just enough to hold a shape as wonderful as the hourglass that was Lucy's body naturally, covered hardly more than her breasts down to just under her navel. It was made from the same material as her panties with purple decorative ribbons giving the appearance of cinching the sides. His eyes honed in on the crossed ribbons that actually tied the corset closed, running from the bottom hem to the top, up the center of her stomach and ending between her breasts. The swell of Lucy's breasts, watching them sway in time with each slow step, had Freed fighting to keep himself under control. He wanted nothing more than to ravage her right then, to lick and suck and nibble on each exposed inch of her flesh and cover the marks he'd already left on her earlier that day. By some miracle, he held himself in place, closing the book and setting it on the end table at his elbow.

Lucy's arms swayed as she made her way closer to him, and Freed gulped loudly while his eyes moved up the column of her throat. He took in every small detail of her face as the firelight danced across her features, and marveled at just how ravishing she looked. She was, in every sense of the word, a temptress. Everything about the woman in front of him unraveled his very being until he was nothing more than a simpleton with only the basest of urges. Her blonde hair hung loose around her shoulders, and the eye patch he had made for her was transparent so he could see just how wonderfully it complemented the clothing that would be strewn across the room soon.

Lucy giggled softly and stopped when she was a few feet away from Freed, seeing the intense longing in his eyes. "How do I look?" she whispered, slowly turning in a circle so he could appreciate each and every bit of the outfit—and, of course, just how little she was actually wearing. When her back was facing him, she heard Freed's breath hitch and could just picture how tightly he was gripping the arms of the chair he was still seated in. Peeking over her shoulder and giving him a sultry smile, Lucy added, "I hope you like it."

Freed nodded slowly, unable to find a single word—or even an entire anthology's worth of them—that could encompass just how much he liked seeing her this way, not to mention how she looked. He didn't think there were enough adjectives in any of the languages he knew to properly describe her, even if he combined every single one of them. Then again, he wasn't exactly doing much thinking right then as it was. Once she was facing him again, Lucy continued her slow and meandering journey until she was finally directly in front of him. Freed couldn't help himself; his eyes raked over her again, and he licked his suddenly dry lips when one of her legs lifted as if everything was in slow motion. Carefully, Lucy moved herself into his lap with her legs straddling his hips while she held her lace-covered core several inches above him. He felt as though he should say  _something_  to assure her just how beautiful she looked like this, but she brought that train of thought to a crashing halt when her fingers lightly danced from the backs of his hands, up the length of his sleeve-covered arms, to his shoulders and neck, and finally resting on his jaw. His head was lightly tilted back, and he met her equally hungry gaze that was filled with mischief—something he already knew meant he was about to thoroughly enjoy what she had planned. Finally, he found a single word that let her know at least a small portion of his opinion on her appearance. "… Wow…"

Lucy's light blush deepened at the thought of making Freed truly speechless. She honestly had worried that this particular set of lingerie—with the addition of stocking and heels—might have seemed like she was trying too hard to be sexy, and that wasn't something she wanted in the slightest. She had bought this particular set a week before Christmas when she considered the fact that Freed might really enjoy seeing her in it.  _'I mean, the colors are spot on,'_  she thought. The green of the lingerie was actually what had caught her eye to begin with, since it was an exact match to the green in Freed's hair. It wasn't the same light shade as how his hair appeared to everyone else, but the deeper and richer emerald of it that she was able to discern between the pale blond highlights that made it seem so light. The floor model of the outfit had crimson ribbons and accents on it, but the clerk had assured Lucy that they could easily change it to any color she wished. So, that was what Lucy did. When asked what color she wanted, Lucy had simply changed the opacity of her eye patch and said that she wanted it to match her eyes. Needless to say, the clerk had been shocked into silence before regaining her composure, then proceeded to get Lucy to buy the stockings and shoes to complete the look.

Now that she had Freed right where she wanted him—which wasn't all that difficult since he'd been rooted to the spot once he saw her—Lucy smiled slyly and lowered herself to sit firmly in his lap while very intentionally letting her chest slide along his. His breathing stuttered again when the prominent bulge in his pants was enveloped by the heat between her legs, and Lucy moaned softly when his member twitched excitedly against her. She knew he was still holding himself back, but that didn't last long once she leaned down and pressed her lips to his.

Freed groaned when those perfectly plump lips of Lucy's caressed his, and his hands slid from the arms of the chair to gently knead her bare cheeks. His thumbs brushed lightly over the garter straps that held the backs of her stockings in place, and he couldn't help but admire how responsive Lucy was to such a small action. Her flesh had broken out in goosebumps, a small shiver running through her, and she moaned lightly while arching her back and causing just enough friction between them for him to break away from the kiss with a gasp.

Lucy nibbled her way across his jaw, grinning when each time her teeth grazed his skin, Freed's hands would tighten their grip on her. By the time she had pulled his earlobe between her lips, he was moving her hips and grinding her moistened center over himself. His hands moved slightly to begin working on loosening her garters, and Lucy giggled while she bit down.

Freed gasped, his hands tightening on Lucy's supple flesh again, and his head fell back against the chair. He nearly whimpered when she pulled his hands from her and put them back on the arms of the chair, but his breath stalled in his throat when she whispered hot and sensuous words that seemed to ignite a fire deep within his very soul.

"I want to strip you with just my mouth, Freed." Lucy nipped at his ear only once more before her barely parted lips slid down his throat to the collar of his shirt. "Everything… Except for this," she whispered, gently nibbling on his cravat and yanking just enough for him to know what she was talking about.

"Oh God…" Freed rasped, feeling each and every word strike a chord in him, sending out vibration after vibration of tingling excitement. When he felt her carefully pushing her nose beneath his cravat, then felt the slight shift and tug of material when her teeth grasped at the fabric around the top button of his dress shirt, Freed nearly lost it right then. Lucy was surprisingly fast when it came to unbuttoning his shirt without the assistance of her hands, but the way she paused and grinned while slowly crawling to the floor between his legs had the seductress that was his Lucy slowing down. He watched her, absolutely fascinated, as Lucy moved up just a little to kiss one of the scars running diagonally across his now-exposed chest. Her breath danced along his flesh, heating it up as though he'd jumped into the blazing fire only a few feet from them. Lucy's eyes stayed locked on his when her tongue trailed across his stomach and up onto the next button. It swirled around and around, then her lips wrapped around the button in a tender kiss, easily reminding him of just what else Lucy was capable of with her lips and tongue. Finally, her teeth lightly grasped one side of the fabric that swelled around her target. With a small twist of her neck, the button popped free from its imprisonment in holding Freed's shirt together, but he couldn't care about anything other than just how quickly she removed the last two buttons of his shirt.

Lucy hummed happily when Freed's chest and stomach were fully exposed, her eyes honing in on the marks she had left on him earlier that day. Without another thought, she dove forward and moaned while pressing hot, open-mouthed kisses to every inch of flesh she could reach from her position on the floor. Freed's groan rumbled through him and straight to her core, a resultant clenching deep within driving Lucy onward. She moaned softly as his fingers sifted through her hair, then turned her head and lightly nipped at the fingertips of one hand.

Soft, tender bites trailed down Freed's hand until Lucy reached the button on his sleeve. Because it was smaller than the previous ones, she had a little more difficulty loosening it. Once it was finished, Freed came to realize that Lucy's lips were an absolute godsend when she moaned and started kissing and licking the scars along his wrist and forearm. He was already panting by the time she finished the other sleeve, a hellishly scorching inferno rushing through his veins with each passing second. "How did you learn to do something like this so well?" he whispered, groaning loudly as Lucy moved to tease his nipples with that angelic mouth of hers.

Lucy smirked, let out a soft giggle, and then said, "Dragon-incited pie-eating contests." At Freed's slightly confused expression, Lucy giggled again as she licked a searing path down the center of his chest and circled his navel. "If you have someone like Natsu as a best friend, you tend to get dragged into lots of contests concerning food. I hated it at the time, but it seems to have worked out well for me."

Freed's eyes widened when Lucy wrapped only her lips around the leather strip that was threaded through his belt buckle. Every small twist of her neck, every gyrating motion she made to successfully loosen that strip, had at least a small portion of her chin grazing oh-so-temptingly against his straining member. Once the end of the belt was free, Lucy lightly locked onto it with her teeth, just above the metal buckle, and quickly jerked her head to the side. Freed gasped when he heard the clanging of a loosened buckle, and felt the rush of the belt being removed.

Lucy sat back on her heels with a grin on her face, and a long strip of leather between her teeth. Instead of dropping it into her hands, Lucy turned and crawled over to the loveseat. She carefully deposited the belt onto the plush cushion, then returned to Freed only to be pushed down onto the floor. His lips crashed to hers and his tongue roughly plunged into her wet cavern as soon as her back was pressed to the soft fur rug in front of the fireplace, a sensual groan rumbling through him. Lucy hitched one leg over his hips, arching her back when his arousal ground against her soaked panties. She wanted him so badly, so intensely, that it was absolutely dizzying. Before she knew what was happening, having been overwhelmed by how hungrily he devoured her, Freed had slipped two fingers past the lace between her legs and roughly thrust them into her.

Freed couldn't let those scarred, plump lips of hers go. He had held himself back for as long as possible, and thought that he could maintain that sliver of his control he still held. That is, until the sight of Lucy slinking across the floor on her hands and knees, baring her perfectly rounded backside to him, and setting his belt on the loveseat with only her mouth had ripped that control away. The look in her mismatched eyes as she'd crawled back to him had wrought nothing but destruction on those few vestiges of his resolve, and he couldn't believe that he'd been lucky enough to find a woman like Lucy; someone who seemed to have the ability to bring him to his knees with just a look. His wrist flexed and his fingers curled upwards only slightly each time he withdrew his fingers, setting a fast and rough pace to try and make her just as crazed in lust as he felt. She whimpered and moaned against his lips, her back arching each time his fingers were fully sheathed in her sex.

"Oh God," Lucy cried out against Freed's lips, feeling her climax building quickly. It wasn't only how wonderful it felt to have his fingers rubbing against her clenching walls, or how he seemed to know just how to rotate his hand to find each and every sensitive area within her. With how hard Freed was pumping into her, the heel of his palm pounded into her sensitive bundle and sent violent shivers running through her. Lucy's chest tightened as she panted against Freed's lips, moaning as he sucked her lower lip into his mouth.

Freed moved his other hand to hold Lucy's leg in place over his hip as he started pumping into her with more vigor. Her moans slowly raised in pitch, and the way her whole body had tensed along with the quick flutter of her walls around him was all he needed to know just how close she was. He groaned as he slammed his fingers in until his hand was firmly cupping her. Lucy cried out and he gazed down at her, taking in just how beautiful she was while he scissored his fingers within her and pushed just a little deeper in quick, powerful bursts. The fire beside them lit up the left side of her so intensely that it seemed to make the purple of her iris glow brighter. Her kiss-swollen lips were parted just enough to let out each short whimper while she sat on the edge of her release, her flushed skin and heaving chest leaving him breathless.

Lucy lifted her other leg to wrap around Freed's hip, locking her ankles behind him, and her back arched when he completely withdrew before pounding into her again and again. She wanted to feel his skin sliding against hers, to feel each and every raised scar along his torso and arms rippling over her while they moved in unison. She craved it as though that single sensation was the only way to bring about the most wonderful euphoria she'd ever experienced. When Freed's hand slid down from her thigh and beneath the small of her back, she wasn't sure what to expect. He lifted her hips from the floor, causing her eyes to widen and everything around them coming to a crashing halt. A wicked and devious grin playing across Freed's lips, and one final rough thrust sent Lucy shooting into the heavens. Her eyes clenched shut and she only managed to think about crying out his name before her lips were covered with his, each loud moan being swallowed whole by the man of her dreams.

Freed hummed softly as his fingers slowed, and he lowered Lucy's hips to the floor again. He smiled into the kiss as she came back to herself, lightly nibbling his lower lip as she took shuddering breaths to calm her racing heart. The light whimper of pleasure she let loose as his fingers finally withdrew had Freed nipping at her jaw, and trailing hot kisses down her throat. He had finally reached the top of the valley between her breasts when her hands tangled in his hair and she rolled them over.

Lucy smirked sensually at Freed when he stared up at her with wide eyes. Raising a challenging brow, she whispered, "Your clothes are still on, Freed. I haven't finished yet."

"We can skip that," he rasped, hissing when her grip on his hair tightened marginally and she licked and sucked just under his adam's apple, pushing his cravat out of the way with her nose. "O-Or…  _mmm…_  Or not."

Lucy grinned and whispered, "Sit up." Then she latched onto the silky fabric that was elegantly knotted around Freed's throat, and carefully moved backward until he was seated with her kneeling between his legs. She eyed him hungrily for only a moment before slowly slinking around him. Once Lucy was propped up on her knees just behind Freed, she lowered her head to his ear and let out a sultry laugh that sent visible shivers down his spine. She moaned as her lips trailed down his throat until she reached the open collar of his unbuttoned shirt.

Freed was hardly able to manage shuddering breaths when he felt what he assumed was Lucy's nose circling lower and lower until she roughly sucked the juncture of his neck and shoulder into her mouth. His head tilted to the side to give her better access to the area that just barely showed from beneath the cravat, and groaned loudly when her breasts grazed against his back. Lucy's breath danced along his skin when she broke away, and she slid further down until she had reached his shoulder, then slowly pulled the fabric down.

When she moved towards the other side, Lucy paused and nestled her nose in Freed's hair with a soft smile on her face. She hummed happily as the green and blond strands caressed her face tenderly, each soft breath filled with only that books-and-darkness scent that belonged to this man. "I love you, Freed," she whispered as she continued her path to the opposite shoulder. Another series of tender nips across his flesh had Freed moaning, and Lucy finally let that fall to pool on the floor. Pushing his hair over one bared shoulder with her nose, Lucy started a searing path of kisses and licks down the length of his spine, giggling softly when Freed's moans increased in volume. She paid special attention to the scars on his shoulder blades, already knowing that instead of having any sort of numbness in them, their sensitivity had actually been increased.

Freed was panting heavily as his arousal strained against the last bits of clothing he wore, whimpering and moaning in pure pleasure as Lucy laved her tongue slowly across his scars. He guessed that she was doing something similar to what he'd done earlier, only without any words. Lucy was showing him by actions alone in such an intimate setting, that she didn't mind his scars. That she accepted them, loved them even. She always looked past his physical scars, knowing there was nothing that could be done to get rid of them—actually having admitted a few days before Christmas that she rather liked them, just not how he'd gotten them. She had said that, if they could go back in time to stop his torture before it happened, she would do it in a heartbeat to save him from his scars; however, Lucy hadn't meant the ones everyone could see. She wanted to save him from the emotional and psychological damage he had suffered from. Even with that knowledge, he knew without a doubt that she accepted him as he was. Lucy did everything in her power to help him work through the issues he had, even though he was still a long way from being back to normal, and she paid special attention to the fact that one of those issues was how he felt about the sickening cross-hatched pattern that had been etched into his flesh.

As she moved on to the other shoulder blade, smiling against the raised and still-tender skin while nuzzling it, Freed felt his heart swell and spread warmth through the rest of his being. Lucy knew the significance of those scars, that he'd been given those particular injuries as an attempt at detaching him from the guild, from 'cutting off his wings' as his torturer had said. Her lips pressed to that raised flesh almost reverently, and all he could think about was what she had said to him that morning he'd been worried about what his father was planning, the day before he'd been taken.

" _Well, they were wrong, Freed," Lucy said tenderly._   _She smiled at him and lifted his head so she could see his eyes. "They forgot that your wings can't be cut off. You'll just write new ones."_

She was right; he would  _always_  be a part of Fairy Tail. He would always have the friendship of their guild mates, and be accepted for who he was. Freed's heart was pounding in his chest as something clicked for him. His scars shouldn't be something he was ashamed of. He'd gotten them from protecting those bonds that he held so closely within his heart, from protecting the lives and safety of his guild. He had always felt like he hadn't done anything to deserve seeing his scars as more than a failure on his part, because he hadn't been doing anything to fight back. His defiance, however, was why he had these scars that Lucy loved so much. The woman whose heart was freely given to everyone she met, who loved her guild fiercely and protected them with everything she was worth, viewed his scars as something that set him apart from everyone else simply because his resolve to keep Fairy Tail safe had never wavered.

Freed shivered when he felt her lips pressing more kisses further and further down his back, even on the wedge-shaped cicatricial blemishes over his hips. Each time she showered those marks he had despised for months with affection, he could feel his love for her growing. She wasn't just a temptress with the ability to bring him to his knees with just a look like he had thought when he'd still been seated in the leather reading chair. Lucy was the very embodiment of Aphrodite, showing him in any and every possible way that her love and passion for him was never-ending. Even with an analogy of her being a goddess, it seemed as though she was worshipping every inch of his flesh—scarred or not—that she found.

She bent down and gathered the collar of Freed's shirt that had pooled on the floor between her teeth then slowly backed away, pulling the soft cashmere-like material along with her.

"I love you," Freed finally replied when Lucy reappeared on his side with his shirt held between her plump lips, and a smile on her face. Lucy slinked around and set his shirt on the floor beside them, and he couldn't stop himself from moving so he knelt in front of her. With a soft smile that was filled with everything he'd felt since she had walked into the den, Freed brought his lips to hers. "Thank you, Lucy… Thank you so much…"

"For what?" she whispered between kisses.

"For making me see… Making me understand… Thank you…" Freed grabbed one of her hands and placed it over a scar just above his heart. "I understand it now," he whispered happily. He held one hand over hers on his chest, and brought the other up to gently cup her cheek, running his thumb along the scar on her face while she mimicked the motion on him. He looked lovingly into her eyes—the beautiful mismatched orbs that had been on his mind night and day for three whole weeks—and felt the familiar sting of tears in his eyes.

"Understand what, sweetie?" Lucy asked softly as she leaned into his hand. There was something different about the way he was looking at her right then. There was a sense of clarity about him, some sort of freedom and lightness that seemed to pour off of him in waves. "You aren't making sense."

Freed let out a small, happy laugh when several tears spilled over and Lucy instantly wiped them away with her free hand. "With how much my life revolves around words, you made me understand it without saying a  _thing_. I-I… Lucy, there is no way for me to ever express how much I love you." He saw her smiling sweetly at him, but there was still a hint of confusion in her eyes when she brushed her fingers through his bangs. "My scars," he clarified with a grin, "You were right. You… You were  _right_ , baby."

Lucy had gone rigid when Freed mentioned his scars, something that usually had him withdrawing into himself, and her clawing to get him back out of his inner turmoil long enough to talk through it. Her thumb was still absently gliding back and forth over the raised flesh of one of the many marks that marred his torso, and it took what felt like an eternity for her to put the pieces together. "You mean… They're…" she whispered with barely contained joy.

Freed nodded, then laughed when Lucy squealed and threw her arms around him. She pressed her lips to his cheeks, chin, nose, lips, jaw, and neck over and over as his arms wrapped around her waist. A light blush dusted across his cheeks, although he was just as ecstatic as Lucy was. "They're nothing to be ashamed of," he whispered. "You've told me for months now, but now I can see for myself. Why should I be ashamed of something that happened as a result of my keeping our guild mates safe?"

"Exactly," Lucy said giddily.

"I've been a fool all this time. If a woman as wonderful as you can see them, touch them, or kiss them, then there is no reason for me to feel anything but pride," Freed whispered, running his cheek along hers before she turned fully to smile up at him.

"I'm so proud of you," she whispered.  _'Another step in the right direction,'_  she thought. Before Freed could consider fully healing from what he had gone through, he needed to be able to accept himself as he was. He needed to see what he could and could  _not_  fix or change, and overcome the obstacles in his path. His nightmares and anxiety in public had diminished over time; although, he still had occasional moments of panic. Now he had accepted the undeniable truth that his scars would be with him forever, and that there was nothing to be ashamed of. The next step was a simple on in theory: letting others see his scars. Execution of that task would be a long and hard road for him, Lucy knew, but she would be there every step of the way. "So so proud, Freed!"

Freed grinned widely when Lucy beamed at him, the pride she felt shining in her eyes. When he pulled her closer to his chest, marveling at how wonderful it felt to have her hands freely traveling across his shoulders, his previously forgotten arousal twitched with the slight bit of friction. Lucy squeaked against him, then put a small bit of distance between them, and let her eyes devour the sight of him without a shirt on. Once she reached his belt-less pants that hung just a fraction of an inch lower without the leather strip buckled in place, Lucy's happy smile morphed back into the passionate minx she had been before his revelation. She very openly eyed the bulge in his pants, then her gaze flickered back to his, filled with her own inner burning desire and mirroring the crackling flames nearby.

"I do believe that's twice I've been distracted," Lucy rasped against his heated flesh. She grinned as Freed's breath hitched, lightly nibbling her lip while her hands slid down his chest. Lucy leaned forward and pressed tender kisses to the scars running along his torso, keeping her eyes locked on his. Slowly, she made her way to the tops of his pants and boxers, running her tongue along his skin just above the elastic band.

Freed shivered as Lucy's hands started lightly massaging his thighs while her plump lips brushed back and forth over the button on his pants. Still, those gorgeous mismatched eyes stayed locked onto his, and his own eyes widened when her tongue circled around the button she was about to release. A soft moan spilled from her, and Freed fought to hold himself in place. Pearly white teeth lightly gripped the fabric of his pants, just above the button, and everything moved in slow motion while she released it from its hold. Her hot breath shot straight through his last bits of clothing, and he groaned softly when her teeth clamped around the zipper.

She pulled it down slowly, savoring each soft pop of metal that was nearly drowned out by the crackling fire. His pants fell open and she leaned forward, letting her lips brush lightly over his straining arousal and grinning at the small darkened spot of moisture on his boxers. "Mmm," she hummed as her lips closed over Freed's tip through his clothing, her tongue lapping at the cloth while a deeper blush settled across his cheeks. "I think…" Lucy paused and ran her nose up to circle his navel, pushing her chest against him. She grinned when Freed's length slid between her corseted breasts, his clenched fists tightening at his sides. Once her eyes locked onto his again, Lucy rocked her chest into his pelvis and whispered, "I think you can finish, Freed."

Freed gulped and brought a hand forward, his thumb lightly tracing just under Lucy's eye patch. He groaned when she smiled at him, bringing her lips to his bare flesh before lightly scraping her teeth across his stomach. Her hands gripped his thighs and slid upwards to hold onto his hips, and his breath rushed from his lungs when she pulled him forward to grind against her chest. In the six—nearly seven now—months they had been together, Freed had found that Lucy had the ability to become a devastatingly sensual being when she wanted to. She didn't seem to realize it either, as far as he could tell, but seeing her like this never failed to amaze and enthrall him. His eyes raked over her voluptuous curves, locking onto the swell of her hips and her bared backside that was only covered with those thin purple garters as she knelt in front of him. His hands tangled in her hair to hold her closer, his hips rocking and grinding his arousal into her generous bust. "Oh, Lucy," he moaned softly when he felt her nails digging into him.

She couldn't take it any longer. Freed seemed to be lost in the sensation of her chest enveloping his still-covered length, so she groaned loudly and pulled his boxers and pants down to the floor. Her mouth devoured Freed's scarred flesh greedily once his bare manhood rubbed against her cleavage. "I want you so badly, Freed," she rasped seductively, licking her lips while moving back down until they hovered over his manhood. She gave him no time to respond, opening her mouth and taking him as far as she could manage. She bobbed her head slowly, letting her saliva coat him fully so she could move more easily over him. His grip on her hair tightened while he moaned loudly, neither caring in the slightest how much noise they made since they were in the confines of their own home.

"Oh… my… G— _Ooooohhh_ ," Freed groaned when her tongue swirled around his flared head each time she withdrew. He felt her hands massaging his thighs again as they tensed to keep himself still, and his member twitched excitedly between her lips. "Lucy… Oh,  _Lucy_!" Freed gasped and shuddered when she dropped her head and pulled his balls into her mouth. The sensitive flesh of his sac was teased by that devilish tongue, a sensation he'd never felt before shooting through his whole body and lighting up every nerve ending he possessed.

Lucy moaned while her tongue drew tight circles over him, arching her back so her rear was pushed further into the air. One hand lifted from Freed's thigh and grasped his arousal, smoothing the bit of moisture collecting at the tip over his shaft and stroking faster and harder. His hands gripped her head as he panted heavily, hissing when she finally let him go with a pop. Lucy's eyes widened when he roughly pushed her head back towards his manhood, and she opened her mouth at the last second before his hips bucked. She felt her eyes watering when he hit her throat, never having been able to manage taking all of him into her mouth on a regular basis.

"Yes," Freed panted through gritted teeth, looking into Lucy's eyes as he started pounding into that deliciously wet cavern. He'd had her several times before they even left Onibus to return to Magnolia, but Lucy's words from earlier filtered back into his hazy mind, and he agreed wholeheartedly. They had three whole weeks to catch up on. Three weeks of being separated. Three weeks of Lucy fighting to save him again. Three weeks of him having been resigned to a life of misery to keep the love of his life safe from harm. He hadn't known if she had even lived past Christmas, since he'd been unconscious while he was taken from her. His heart had ached each and every second he wasn't with her. It was a feeling that was strangely familiar in a way he didn't want to decipher—fearing that whatever the reason was for the familiarity of his pain, it would only bring about more of it if he found out.

Lucy whimpered and kept her lips and eyes locked on Freed, then moved in a way that forced him to lie down. She regained the upper hand, bringing her fingers to the base of his shaft and gripping it tightly as she stroked the places she couldn't quite reach. Faster and faster, even Freed's usual control had slipped while he slammed himself into her mouth from below. She felt the swelling in his shaft when Freed's moans became guttural, and wholly masculine, groans of pleasure. She knew he would reward her soon as his climax barreled towards him, and she started adding more suction each time his hips pulled back. Her breasts and core ached to be touched, caressed, kissed, and licked. It didn't matter how many times Freed had laid her out on her back that day and plunged into her sex with reckless abandon; she wanted more. She wanted his hands and mouth all over her, wanted to feel his hips settling between her spread legs, and how wonderful that first stretch of her core as he pushed into her felt.

"Gods, you feel so _good_ ," Freed groaned, his hips angling slightly before diving back in. He hissed when his swollen head slid along the inside of Lucy's cheek only once before she tilted her head and flattened her tongue over him. He panted heavily, his breaths coming in weak, short gasps and finally found that the sight of his member disappearing between her lips was more than he could handle. His eyes slid closed, his head dropping to the floor, and Freed tensed every muscle in his abdomen to try and hold himself off just a little longer as Lucy continued bobbing her head in his lap. "Right… There… Oh, L-Lucy!"

Lucy moaned around him and moved faster, forcing her throat to accept just a small portion of Freed's length. She gagged slightly each time he pushed against her throat, but with the way that hardened shaft started to stiffen even further with every thrust, how his fingers tightened in her hair as she drew closer to the base only to loosen on her withdrawal, she knew it wouldn't be much longer before she could taste him again. She listened to Freed moan her name, his voice cracking and raising in volume before turning into incoherent and garbled groans.

Freed gasped, his heels digging into the soft fur carpet as a violent shudder ran through his painfully tightened muscles. Pleasure zipped through his body, centering and swirling in a passionate vortex at the base of his spine. He had no idea what he was trying to even say to the woman that held him at her mercy—whether he was begging for release, warning her of what was coming, or just trying to show her his adoration—because his breath stalled in his throat as it constricted. He erupted only moments later, pulling Lucy as close as he could while he cried out at the intensity of his climax. His hips bucked with each violent pulse of his release, and Lucy's hands locked onto them to keep herself in place as she reflexively swallowed everything he gave her.

Lucy moaned again and again as the tangy, salty mixture burst across her tongue; the thickness of that liquid sticking in her throat while she drank it down. One hand slid down to gently massage his sac, causing Freed to shudder and whimper, and Lucy kept slowly bobbing her head even after his hands loosened in her hair. Her eyes fluttered open to look lovingly into his deep emerald orbs as she crawled up his body, and the utterly disheveled appearance of the normally pristine mage had fire flaring in her veins. His cheeks were flushed as he panted heavily, his eyes hooded and half-lidded, and his green hair fanned out across the white fur of the rug beneath him. She loved that she was able to get him to this point, that she had been the only one to ever see him this way—just as it was for him. Freed was normally a very put-together man, and the thought that Lucy had the power to turn that image on its head made her swell with pride in her ability to please the man she planned on marrying. Lucy smiled and kissed him tenderly, moaning when his hands lazily smoothed over her hips and up her slender, corseted waist.

The minimal clothing Lucy wore, while more than alluring as it hugged her every curve, was suddenly intensely offensive to the Rune mage as it barred him from feeling her silky skin. He shivered when Lucy's fingers brushed his bangs away from his face, and her nose brushed back and forth against his, a gentle smile playing across her full lips. A mirroring smile, albeit slower to form, made itself known as he whispered, "You are truly one-in-a-million, Lucy."

Lucy giggled softly. "I love you too, sweetie… How did you like your present?"

Freed lifted one eyebrow and smirked while he grasped her rear, squeezing those perfectly rounded cheeks and watching as her blush deepened. "So far, it's a wonderful present," he answered. "But, I still haven't unwrapped it. There seems to be lace in the way of my gift."

Lucy giggled again and lightly nibbled his lower lip. "But, Freed…" she cooed playfully, "The lingerie  _is_  your gift."

"And  _that_  is where you are mistaken," Freed nearly growled as he rolled them over, pinning Lucy to the floor while his eyes glimmered with mischief and desire. "My gift," he said, his voice gentle as a cool breeze in summer while one hand glided down from her breast to her core, "Is underneath the lingerie." He watched as Lucy arched beneath him, pressing herself against his hand as he cupped her core. Her hands moved quickly to the ribbon that held her lingerie over her bountiful chest, and Freed chuckled softly when he grabbed them with one of his own.

Lucy's eyes widened when she saw a certain darkness lingering in Freed's gaze while he openly eyed her body. Freed quickly untied his cravat and tied one end around her wrist, then raised her arms above her head. She watched in amazement as his dexterous fingers wrapped the silky fabric around the leg of the reading chair he'd been in when she came in the room, circling the wooden leg twice before binding her other wrist in place. "F-Freed?" she whispered in shock. In the time they had been together, she had never considered something like being tied up would be a turn-on for Freed. She had assumed that those three weeks he'd been tortured would put a damper on any sexual urges that might arise from them experimenting with something like this, but it was clearly having the exact opposite effect on him.

"Lucy," Freed rasped as his gaze travelled hungrily down from her slender neck, pausing at the creamy mounds that were threatening to spill out of the top she wore, to the sheer black stockings over her delectable thighs. Seeing her like this was so appealing to him—for reasons he didn't want to know—and he could already feel his body trying to awaken his arousal once again. "You look delicious, do you know that?"

Lucy quickly shook her head, moaning as Freed's hands smoothed down her arms and over the tops of her breasts. She writhed beneath him, crying out each time his breath or fingertips brushed over her flesh. Freed had told her countless times that there was darkness in him from his magic, that it was another part of Rune magic most never delved into. She had seen it firsthand on Christmas when he'd attacked Ren. Freed had told her earlier that day in the hotel that, because her safety was threatened, that darkness had welled up inside and surfaced without him even writing the runes for the forbidden spell- causing him to shift into the demon form he had only used while fighting Mira Jane during Fantasia and Rustyrose on Tenrou. Lucy could see that beast lingering in the depths of his green eyes, the light purple flecks in his irises gleaming excitedly. Even with the knowledge of what lay just beneath the surface, she felt only Freed's love for her in each tender caress.

Freed chuckled and slid his nose from Lucy's jaw down to the tops of her breasts. "It's only fair that I return the favor of stripping you down with just my mouth." He grinned when Lucy moaned wantonly and wrapped her legs around his hips, then propped himself up on his elbows as he gazed down at her mismatched eyes. "Everything," he whispered as one hand briefly massaged her breast before sliding down her waist to her thigh. His thumb brushed over one of the purple garters that held her stockings in place. "Except these." His hand slid down her leg to where her ankles were locked at the small of his back, lightly caressing the suede material of her shoes, and added with a wicked grin, "And these."

Lucy's lust spiked, a throaty moan spilling from her as his words washed over her, and tightened her grip on Freed's hips to grind herself against him. His body was still recovering from his recent orgasm, but even the small bit of friction she gained from rubbing her core along his spent member was enough for moisture to collect between her legs. Freed's hands glided over her body when he dove down to kiss her senseless, his thumbs lightly massaging every part of her that he touched. She wanted nothing more than to dig her fingers into the silky green strands that pooled around them, even struggling slightly against the cravat that bound her to the chair, and moaned as Freed's tongue moved more insistently against her own. When he broke away from the kiss, she only had a second to admire his face before he trailed a searing path of open-mouthed kisses down her body until his mouth closed over her damp panties. She cried out in shock when he roughly sucked her clit into his mouth through the cloth, his tongue flicking and flitting over that little bundle of nerves again and again.

Freed groaned at how potent the taste of Lucy's arousal was, his eyes sliding closed as his mouth moved down and teased her lips through her panties. He nipped at her sex only once, before moving to the garters that held her outfit in place. He eyed the straps for only a moment before wrapping his lips around the end that was attaches to her stocking. With only a small amount of work from his tongue and teeth, the clasp came undone, causing Lucy to gasp while she gazed down at him. He kissed the bare section of her thigh while moving up her to hip, then turned and repeated the process on the other side. "Lift your legs," he rasped as he sat back on his knees.

Lucy blushed and lifted shaking legs into the air, keeping her ankles together while her toes pointed toward the ceiling. She watched Freed lean down, felt his burning lips slide along the back of one thigh while a hand held her legs in place, and then gasped and shuddered when his lips closed around the clasp of a garter strap. She felt it loosen in a matter of seconds, the strap falling limply to the floor as Freed moved to the final strap. When he was finished, Lucy whimpered as his nose brushed over her on a path back to her sex, feeling utterly bare with how she was being held in place. Her hands tightly grasped the leg of the chair she was bound to when his breath danced across her panties, and Lucy cried out when he closed his mouth over her again. His tongue pushed against the material to circle her entrance, and then he surprised her by gathering the small triangle of material between his teeth and pulling it upwards so it slid between her lips.

Again and again, Freed added just a little more pressure and friction with the lace as he teased her, and the way Lucy started moaning even louder had him fighting to maintain his control. He pulled the lace from between her lips and his tongue slid out to lave over her sex, lapping up her arousal while she panted and writhed against his mouth. "I do believe these are in my way, Lucy," he whispered as he tugged on the drenched lace with his teeth. When Lucy whimpered and nodded, Freed carefully moved the material to cover her core again, then grinned when she looked at him in astonishment. "Not yet," he teased, with a smirk.

"Freed," Lucy whimpered again, having been only moments from finding her release. "Please…" There was so much tension built up in her that she felt as though she would burst, and that really was what she wanted. His fingers drew lazy circles over her hips while he kissed his way up the center of her stomach, and she was utterly enraptured by the sight of Freed taking the ends of the ribbon that tied her corset closed between his teeth. Their eyes locked, her mismatched brown and purple to his green, and Lucy's breath stilled when he slowly pulled the ribbon to untie the small bow.

"You're so beautiful, Lucy," Freed whispered tenderly as his mouth hovered over the crossed ribbon that ran through the dainty grommets on her corset. "I believe seeing you in a corset might be one of my favorite things. This is twice in one day you've worn one."

Lucy blushed and said, "Well, I needed to wear that first one for the meeting with your father."

"This is true, but I had a very difficult time restraining myself when I saw you." Freed smiled softly down at her, bringing his lips to her in a tender and chaste kiss. "What I wanted was to drag you away from that office, so I could ravish you for hours."

"I'll keep this love of corsets in mind, Freed," Lucy giggled. "I should have known you'd like something like this. All those pretty women in high society wear them."

"Oh, no," Freed rasped as he lowered his head to the ribbon again. "Only the sight of  _you_  in one can make me feel this way, Lucy." His teeth clamped down on the first cross-section of ribbon and he quickly pulled, letting the material slide between his teeth while the ends were freed from the topmost grommets.

Lucy was going to ask Freed how the sight of her in a corset made him feel, but before she could Freed had started working his way down her chest and stomach. He loosened the ribbon that cinched her lacy top closed with such speed and precision that she was silently wondering if this had been a secret hobby of his. Twice in one day, Freed had surprised her with his dexterity when it came to removing the constricting garment, and he finished with his task in less than a minute. "H-How do I make you feel?" she whispered breathlessly.

Freed pulled the ribbon from her completely, then leaned forward and dropped it onto the chair with his mouth. When he looked back down, Lucy was panting heavily, her legs sliding along his thighs. There was only a sliver of the perfect, creamy, silken skin that was bared before him where the corset had separated, and his mouth went dry while gazing longingly at the valley between her breasts. "Speechless," he said softly, his voice just barely able to be heard over the crackling fire. Freed lowered his head and circled her navel with his tongue, then flattened it and dragged it up between the two halves of lacy material that somehow stayed on Lucy's heaving chest.

Lucy struggled to break free from the cravat binding her to the chair each time Freed pulled a small portion of her skin into his mouth, further darkening some of the marks he'd already left on her earlier that day.

"Breathless," Freed whispered into Lucy's ear. "Desperate to touch every bit of you, feel you writhing against me, coming apart around me." He groaned softly as he kissed her shoulder, lightly scraping his teeth against her and grinning when she moaned his name. "You ignite such intense passion within me, that I'm left dizzy and disoriented. Seeing you in  _this_ ," he added, his voice lower and filled with desire as his teeth pulled the corset away from her, "Makes me ravenous. I want to devour every inch of you until we're both fully sated... And then keep going."

"Oh, God," Lucy breathed, her eyes closing and her breath stuttering pathetically as she imagined Freed doing just that. "Take me, Freed. Please... Take it all..."

"I plan on doing more than taking, Lucy," Freed chuckled darkly. His lips brushed against one puckered nipple as he continued. "I plan on giving you so much pleasure that you'll be unable to do more than whimper once I'm finished." His hands grazed her sides as he closed his mouth over her, finally sliding up to cup her full breasts while he groaned and swirled his tongue around that little pink bud. Each and every moan or gasp that left Lucy's lips had his inner darkness groaning in ecstasy. That beast within loved her just as much as Freed did. Even though it had originally shied away from the brilliant light Lucy had brought along with her when she became a part of his life, it longed to hear her voice becoming nothing more than a seductive rasp, to feel each and every inch of her supple flesh brushing so lovingly against the scars that marred Freed's body. Freed's desire to please and devour Lucy was deeply entwined with that dark beast inside, and both of them had only one goal that night: showing the blonde that so willingly accepted them just how special she was.

Lucy rolled her hips over and over, arching her back to press her chest more fully into Freed's ravenous mouth. She wanted so badly to touch him, to feel every bit of him under her hands, but that damn cravat of his was keeping her hands in place. She already knew the chair was too heavy for her to lift from the position she was in, and it was doubly impossible while he worked such wonderful magic on her with only his mouth against her breasts. She gasped when she felt two fingers massaging her glistening sex through her panties, sliding up and down her slit and pressing against her sensitive bundle of nerves with just the right amount of pressure to have her pleading with Freed to finish her off. He had already denied her release once, and the light teasing touches he gave her now were driving her mad with lust. She needed him in every sense of the word, and if she didn't get some sort of relief from this winding tension in her body, Lucy was positive she would gain the strength of ten Vulcans while throwing the chair across the room and tackling the Rune mage to the ground so she could ride him into oblivion.

Freed groaned against her, the sounds Lucy was making sending delicious shivers down his spine. He could feel just how desperate Lucy was to find the release he kept just out of reach, heard it in each and every pleading whimper. A part of him wanted to give her just what she wanted right then, but he already knew that this would be even more pleasurable for her if she was held right on the precipice, staring down into the chasm that would serve to be both of their undoing. The more Lucy moaned and writhed, the more that darkness within wanted to consume her. When her back arched, a keening cry spilling past her lips, Freed gasped and roughly bit down on the supple flesh of her breast before propping himself up on both hands and hovering over her. "Tell me we can get a replacement," he rasped.

"Wh-What?" Lucy whimpered.

Freed dropped his head to her core, moaning when he closed his mouth over the small bit of soaked lace that was still in his way. "Tell me…" he groaned, his hot breath dancing along her sex and raising visible goosebumps in its wake across her pelvis, "That I can replace these…"

Lucy gaped at Freed, still not fully understanding what he was trying to say. His gaze was so intense, her breath was stolen from her lungs. Surprisingly, Freed's bangs weren't covering his eye, so she was able to see that it had actually changed color to match her own purple and black eye. "F-Freed…?" Lucy whispered in shock, never having seen the look he was giving her before. He truly looked like he was ready to devour her right then and there, like the single sliver of his control was only moments from escaping his grasp. No matter what Lucy had thought before about bringing Freed to the point of losing himself in ecstasy, of truly letting go, she had been dead wrong.  _This_  was what Freed looked like before he lost that control.

"Lucy," Freed warned, his voice lower and huskier than normal. His tongue smoothed up her slit before the tip pressed against her entrance, bringing another cry of pleasure bursting from between her plump lips. After a series of open-mouthed kisses to her core accompanied by long groans from him, Freed's teeth lightly gripped the lace between her legs. He pulled it between her nether lips again, rubbing it against her sensitive bundle and grinning darkly when Lucy started wantonly rolling her hips.

"Oh, Freed," Lucy moaned, her back arching and her hips moving of their own accord to increase the friction that last bit of lingerie created. A groan turned into a vibrating growl just before the sound of tearing fabric split through the air and her panties were thrown across the room- directly into the fire. Her eyes widened in shock while she looked down at Freed, but they quickly rolled back when he dove into her sex.

Freed licked and sucked at her, that final bit of his control completely decimated. Even when he'd been with her the first time that day- where he'd rationalized that his control had been gone, and that was why he'd been so willing to forgo any protection- he still had some control over himself. Now though, he was letting that darkness within guide his actions. Lucy screamed in ecstasy when her orgasm crashed through her before he had even added his fingers, and Freed crawled up her body while her back was still arched to tease her breasts with his mouth again while he sunk his fully hardened member into her quivering sex.

Lucy screamed again when she felt Freed pushing into her, the spasms in her core increasing in intensity as he started wildly snapping his hips. "Freed! OH GOD, F-FREED!" she moaned, her eyes fluttering closed and her body willingly moving to each and every one of his whims.

His arms hooked around her legs, and he pulled her ankles up onto his shoulders, his pace never faltering. "Lucy," he groaned, "God, I love you…" His grip on her hips tightened as he pulled her more forcefully onto him, feeling every flutter of her walls around him so perfectly since there wasn't a condom to diminish it. He grinned when she tried to moan a response, using more force to snap his hips violently against her. His hands slid down from her hips so he could feel the sheer stockings over her slender legs, guttural groans spilling from him each time he was buried in her.

Lucy felt another climax building quickly as Freed plunged into her soaking depths, and she cried out in surprise when he withdrew from her completely and flipped her over onto her stomach. Because of the way her hands were bound, Lucy ended up having her arms crossed while she desperately grabbed at the leg of the chair. She felt Freed's strong, lightly calloused hands lifting her hips into the air, and she shakily tried to support her weight on her knees.

"You're so beautiful, baby," Freed rasped as he lined himself up and filled Lucy's sex in one quick stroke. His hands smoothed over her bared backside, and he kept himself pressed against her while slowly rocking his hips. " _Mmm…_  Fuck, you feel so good like this!"

Lucy gasped and arched her back, pushing herself against Freed when that single curse slipped past his lips. In all the time she had been with him, Freed had never once uttered a single curse word, always having said that he knew enough other words to properly express how he felt about something without resorting to anything so offensive and vulgar. Hearing just one expletive from him had her body tightening, knowing that he was really letting loose if something like that was able to slip past his filter. "H-Harder, Freed..." she moaned, pushing back against him with more force as encouragement. "Fuck me harder!"

Freed's breath stalled in his throat, his pace faltering for only a moment before he groaned loudly and started slamming into her. Each time he pushed forward, Lucy met him with just as much vigor. Thrust for thrust, they moved against one another faster, harder, more and more frantically as they trekked up that steep incline that led to bliss. He leaned forward and placed a hand on the chair, then changed the angle and made sure to brush against her front wall with every deep plunge. "Fuck," he panted, "Lucy… O-Oh, Lucy!"

Every muscle in Lucy's body froze, her eyes widening in shock by the sensation of Freed's released bursting into her so forcefully. That hot liquid filling her, each sharp snap of Freed's hips, finally threw her over the edge. Her head dropped to the ground as she cried out her release, barely hearing Freed groan as he rolled his hips into her while her sex squeezed every last drop from him. Once she came down from that wonderful high, Lucy felt herself being carefully laid back down on the floor before Freed rolled her over.

Lucy mewled softly as Freed kissed her. He was still hard enough after his own release, so he carefully grasped himself and pushed back into her. He moaned when Lucy bucked against him, her shoes clacking slightly as one heel hit the wood floor instead of the rug they were on. "I love you, Lucy," Freed whispered breathlessly, smiling as he pressed his lips to hers again and moved his hands to untie her.

Lucy sighed as Freed tenderly massaged her wrists, then wrapped her arms around his shoulders while he slowly rocked into her. "I love you too, Freed," she whispered happily. "Merry Christmas."

Freed chuckled and nipped at her lower lip. "Merry Christmas, Lucy." He paused for a moment, then gave the beautiful blonde beneath him a wicked and devastating smile. When Lucy's breath hitched, he whispered, "We still need to celebrate New Years', you know."

"Y-You're… Absolutely right," Lucy moaned, her eyes sliding closed when Freed began teasing her clit with his thumb, his hips still slowly rocking into her. Because he was still buried in her sex, Lucy was able to appreciate each and every second of him slowly becoming more and more aroused, feeling every bit of his shaft hardening while he started a slower round of sex. "If you count down to one, I'll never forgive you," she said softly just before he picked up in speed.

"Why would I do that?" Freed asked with a wide grin. He leaned down and pulled her earlobe between his teeth for only a moment before whispering, "I'd rather you're surprised, Lucy."

* * *

Lucy groaned as her bladder started protesting her decision to sleep in, pouting petulantly while desperately clinging to the final remnants of her dream as she felt Freed's fingers lightly gliding across her shoulders. Finally, having decided that a bladder infection might not be in her best interest because she was too lazy to get up, Lucy sighed and opened her bleary eyes to see an equally exhausted Freed smiling softly down at her. "What time is it?" she whispered hoarsely, the events of the previous night having caught up with her completely.

"It's nearly noon, Lucy," Freed chuckled. "I would say I'm surprised that Laxus hasn't been by to check on us, but… I think you may have scared him off with all your talk about my stamina yesterday."

Lucy laughed and then instantly regretted it when a small pain radiated from her bladder. "Hold that thought," she said urgently, untangling herself from the sheets and jumping to her feet. She didn't care about the fact that she was completely naked while she ran into the bathroom, since Freed had seen her naked in nearly every angle imaginable the night before. Once she was finished, Lucy sighed in relief and decided to get the first part of her morning routine out of the way now that she was actually out of bed. She blushed while walking past the shower, seeing water still beaded on the glass and remembering how Freed had pinned her to the wall while they tried to clean up before finally going to bed at dawn. Once she got to the sink, Lucy's jaw dropped in shock as she looked at her reflection. Hickeys covered her neck, chest, and stomach; her lips were still swollen from how intensely she and Freed had kissed, and the way he'd been thrusting between her lips when they finally left the den and collapsed in a pile of lusty limbs on the stairs. One thing that surprised her was that there weren't any bruises on her hips from where Freed had been holding so tightly to her, even though she felt like there should be some there and between her legs as well.

Finally breaking from her stupor, Lucy rolled her eyes and silently thanked the stars that no one expected her and Freed to be in public and that, should they decide to leave the house, it was still cold enough for her to wear a turtleneck. She brushed her teeth and got lost in thought while she tried to decide which of Freed's new books she was going to read while the Rune mage lost himself in the tomes. She was on auto-pilot the entire time, moving from one task to the next; from brushing her teeth to washing her face, pulling out a pair of tweezers when she saw a few stray hairs in her otherwise perfectly manicured eyebrows to taking her… Lucy paused while she looked down at the container that held her pills and frowned. She had the dates written on the foil over each individual pill so she would know when she needed more.

 _'December 26th,'_  she thought in confusion,  _'Why didn't I take my… Oh my god…'_  Lucy closed her eyes and tried to contain the panic that started welling in her as her heart plummeted into her stomach, then both organs dropped right out of her and down onto the first floor of the house. She hadn't taken her birth control in three weeks. The day Freed had been taken, the day her routine had changed from making sure to take her pills to researching and ignoring any other obligations…

She slowly put the container back in the medicine cabinet, already knowing that Freed never looked at it simply because she had assured him that it was her responsibility to keep track of it. He trusted her to keep on top of her birth control, even if they still used condoms. The two of them were insanely careful when it came to sex, neither of them willing to chance a pregnancy while they were so young. And now… Now there was a  _very_  high chance of that very thing happening simply because the entire day previous, they had been going to town with no protection whatsoever. Lucy had stupidly thought that her pills would protect her from getting pregnant, and maybe they would have…  _If_  she'd still been taking them.

Before she could start freaking out too much, Lucy realized that there was nothing she could do about it right then. She didn't want to freak Freed out by telling him about her royal fuck-up if there was nothing to worry about.  _'Maybe we got lucky,'_  she thought hopefully. Lucy knew that she couldn't continue taking her birth control in the event that she actually was pregnant, but if she wasn't… Lucy decided then and there that she and Freed would be extremely careful until she was certain that she was carrying a little one.  _'Just a month, and then I can find out. That's what Cana told me when she had that scare a few months ago…'_ She took a deep breath and smiled at herself in the mirror, knowing that Freed would instantly know if something was wrong. Her smile seemed a little off, but she could probably just play it off as being tired from the night before. With one last deep breath, Lucy strengthened her resolve and walked out of the bathroom. Lucy could handle this secret for a month, she was sure of it.


	16. Test

Freed sighed as he wrote everything down on a spare piece of paper, then turned back to the lacrima with a strained smile. "Thank you, Wendy. Hopefully this one will do the trick," he said softly. He could see the concern in the young blunette's eyes as she looked at him, and knew that she saw the evidence of several sleepless nights clear as day on his face. There wasn't much the Sky Maiden could do in this instance, since she was going to be gone for at least another month.

With all of the drama that had surrounded his disappearance on Christmas, the S-Class exams had been postponed until further notice; which ended up being only a week after he had returned to the guild with his team. Because of everything that had happened, Freed had asked Makarov not to put his name in for the trials until he felt more at ease; consequently, Gajeel had been given his spot, and ended up reclaiming the title of S-Class mage. Now, nearly two months after Lucy had rescued him from his father's estate, Wendy was on an S-Class mission with Gajeel. While he normally would have been ecstatic for his guild mates, Freed wished that they had waited to leave.

"It should," Wendy said solemnly. "If it doesn't, then take her to Porly—"

"Laxus has already gone to see Porlyusica, and the few concoctions she gave us only made it worse," Freed said with a sigh.

"And she won't go see a doctor?"

Freed pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. He loved Lucy more than words could express, but her stubbornness in this particular instance left him utterly perplexed on how to handle the situation. Their first Valentine's Day, exactly one month after his return, had been rain-checked so to speak when Lucy told him she wasn't feeling well. They had a quiet night at home, a small simple take-out dinner, and she had fallen asleep in his arms in front of the fireplace while he read one of the new books she had given him. The next few days, her health had slowly declined until she was struggling just to get out of bed, and that only really happened when she was in a mad dash to get to the bathroom so she could violently expel the small amounts of food or water she'd been able to stomach. They were all of the firm belief that Lucy was experiencing an extremely persistent case of the flu that had been going around. "No, she says that she doesn't trust them because of her mother's passing."

Wendy nodded slowly, then turned to look away from the lacrima when Gajeel spoke. With another nod, she smiled at Freed and said, "Gajeel and Lily say they hope she feels better soon."

"As do I," Freed answered. He heard the front door open and close, then the very distinct gait of Laxus' steps as his drew nearer to the office. "Please take care of yourselves out there. I know Lucy worries about you four." With another sweet smile from Wendy, Freed disconnected the lacrima and looked up to see Laxus leaning against the door jamb.

"How's she doin', Freed?" Laxus asked softly, glaring at the ground for all of five seconds before turning his gaze up towards where he knew Freed and Lucy's bedroom was at.

"There's been no change since you left three hours ago, Laxus," Freed answered. The one thing that had kept Freed from completely losing his mind with worry over Lucy being ill was Laxus. Because she was his kin—something that had thoroughly intrigued Freed when he'd been told about it—Laxus stayed in the house almost constantly. His instincts drove him to help care for her, and the only reason he was actually able to leave in the first place was because Freed had returned. Apparently, his complete inability to leave Lucy's side during those three weeks after Christmas was due to the fact that his 'inner dragon', as the Slayers called it, was saying Lucy's mate was gone and she needed more protection. Luckily, with Laxus and Lucy being as close as they were, it gave Freed the ability to go to the store without worrying about Lucy being home alone in case she needed something. It also meant that he would hopefully get an answer to the question that had been plaguing him for nearly two months. "Laxus, there is… Um…" Freed mumbled uncharacteristically. "I-I need a favor."

Laxus' eyebrows shot up as he sharply turned to face Freed. It wasn't like the Rune mage to stutter over anything, so if the rueful and tired tone in his voice hadn't been enough to catch his attention, then that sure as hell did. "What's up?" he asked cautiously.

Freed sighed and leaned back in his chair, a light blush dusting his cheeks when he thought of the night he'd come home and he'd bent Lucy over it. There was no longer a single surface in their home that didn't bring back memories of that night. "It's about Lucy," he said softly. His eyes widened slightly when Laxus went rigid, a growl rumbling through the Lightning Slayer that he felt rattling in his bones rather than heard with the depth of its pitch. "Since I came back, she's grown more distant. I noticed something was a little off the next morning, but I had just assumed it was because she was tired." A deeper blush settled across his cheeks when the corner of Laxus' mouth twitched in what would have been a smirk if it wasn't for the tension radiating from him. "It's only gotten worse since she fell ill, but when I try to ask her if there's something on her mind, she just shuts down completely."

Laxus frowned and crossed his arms over his chest while looking at one of his oldest friends. He had just assumed that her being so sick was what was bothering her, since Laxus had noticed it as well. No one had ever told Lucy what her mother had been diagnosed with, so she didn't know what the actual illness was that had killed her. He'd thought to ask her if maybe that was why she was acting so strangely, but any time he was around Lucy just wanted him to hold her. "You want me to talk to her? See if I can't find out what's goin' on?"

"If there's anyone she'll open up to about it, it's you," Freed admitted sadly. While he was immensely glad that the two blondes were so close, and that Lucy had someone in her life that could be another form of support for her when she needed it, the thought that Laxus was actually more likely to find out what was going on than her own  _fiancé_  ate at Freed night and day. Why wouldn't she be willing to talk to him about it, when he'd bared his most painful memories to her? It was as though she couldn't possibly trust him to share the burden of whatever was weighing her down. Regardless of his own feelings on the matter, he needed answers. If Laxus could find out what was wrong, then they could hopefully work together to remedy it.

"You know she  _does_  trust you, right Freed?"

Freed jolted in his seat, his eyes instantly shooting up to lock onto the stormy gaze that had been watching him. Instead of giving an answer, Freed simply nodded and looked down at the paper that had the newest type of medicine for Lucy to try. Something had to give. Either this illness of hers finally breaking, or her opening up to him. Freed needed to know what had taken away that brilliant light in Lucy's eyes even before she'd gotten sick, but he was a firm believer in small steps to accomplish large goals. If she wouldn't tell Laxus, then they would simply need to redouble their efforts in making her well again. After that, maybe she would be more inclined to open up to him… He hoped. "I will be back soon. Wendy—"

"Gave you another type of medicine for her to try," Laxus finished with a sigh. "I'll go keep her company until you get back. Maybe I can get her to talk to me." He watched as Freed silently gathered his belongings, adjusting his coat and sword at the door after putting his boots back on, then left the house without another word. Everything was eerily silent once the Rune mage was gone, and it set the Lightning Slayer on edge. He'd known something about Lucy was off while she was sick, because he'd been around her frequently enough to see it for himself. But he never would have guessed that she had been pulling away from Freed.

Those two were close as can be, and had been ever since she had saved him from that monastery nearly nine months prior. So, what could have possibly happened for his little sister to leave Freed in the dark on something that was bothering her? They told each other everything, just like Lucy and himself did. Because of what happened to Freed while he was being tortured, Lucy had been adamant about open communication in their relationship, especially while he was trying to work through from the psychological scars that had been left behind. _'Why then?'_  he thought worriedly, looking back at the front door that Freed had walked through some time ago. Laxus knew it had to be serious if it was affecting Freed this much, considering the fact that the green-haired mage had walked out without even going upstairs to let Lucy know he was leaving or when he would be back.

With renewed determination filling him, Laxus climbed the stairs and made his way to the master bedroom. He pushed the door open only for his pulse to skyrocket when he didn't see Lucy in bed. He couldn't smell the evidence of her having vomited recently, so the sudden disappearing act was definitely cause for concern. That is, until he heard a soft sniffle coming from the closed bathroom door, along with copious amounts of water swirling down a drain.  _'Of course she was taking a bath,'_  he thought with a sigh of relief. They always helped Lucy relax when she needed it, plus the steam was good for her clogged sinuses. Without hesitation, Laxus made his way to the bathroom and walked right in. He'd seen her naked as a jaybird on several missions already—as had Evergreen and Bickslow—because the little blonde really was a magnet for two things: trouble and perverts with a penchant for destroying clothing. "Hey, what's the patient doing outta bed?" he joked with a wide grin, hoping that maybe he could get her mood to elevate even a little.

Lucy's eyes went wide as she clutched the towel wrapped around her tightly to her chest, the box she'd been holding in her hand falling to the ground and sliding across the tile floor when that booming voice startled her. Luck really wasn't on her side, it seemed. That godforsaken traitorous box stopped only when it hit a pair of sock-covered toes. Instead of the slender feet clad in dress socks she'd irrationally been fearing, Lucy stared blankly at the cotton monstrosities. She'd know those feet anywhere, just like she would have known Freed's. Just for good measure, her eyes slowly trailed up the powerful legs hidden by maroon slacks, over the bulging muscles barely contained by the sleeveless black muscle shirt. She registered the light brown fur that lined his coat as it still sat draped over his shoulders, and finally she saw his face. The bright blue eyes that saw right through her, the lightning-shaped scar, the spiky blonde hair. Still, her brain just didn't want to accept that she'd been caught. "L-Laxus? What are you… doing here?" she whispered incredulously.

"I came to check up on you," he said softly, leaning down to pick up the box that had slid across the floor. Once it was in his hand, and he'd started taking a step towards Lucy, the familiar coloring caught his eye and immediately drew his gaze to the little cardboard container. His eyebrows shot up to his hairline, his jaw dropping open only slightly, and he looked back up at Lucy only to see tears shining in her eyes. "Something you wanna tell me about, sis?"

Her whole being seemed to scream yes, but Lucy couldn't get the words out. What she'd thought would only be a month of waiting to find out if her mistake was going to bring a new life into the world, she'd found out that it could take two—sometimes three—months for a test to give any positive results. Cana had gone to an actual doctor just to be sure instead of taking a test at home, but Lucy didn't want to involve doctors if she could help it. Not until there was a reason to, or if Wendy or Porlyusica suggested it. But, she didn't want to involve anyone in this if she didn't need to, which meant taking the test at home. She thought that she was in the clear since Freed had stopped coming into the bathroom to try and help her bathe, but she hadn't considered Laxus' presence at all. He had been around the entire time she was sick, making sure she and Freed had everything they needed, spending time with her when Freed needed to leave for one reason or another, holding her when she couldn't bear to let Freed touch her because of what she'd done.

Lucy wanted to tell Laxus, to tell  _someone_ , so badly it hurt. The only problem was that she was pretty sure he'd go on a rampage if he found out that she got pregnant without a ring on her finger and a different last name. He could very well hate her as much as Freed might for what happened. Her big brother could give her that look that she'd only ever imagined on his face; disappointment. She had made a huge mistake in thinking that she and Freed would be fine screwing like rabbits without protection, and Laxus could very easily point that out to her. It would only make her heart shatter to know that she'd let him down. She didn't want to let  _anyone_  down, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for her to keep this secret from the blond behemoth when she saw that concerned and curious look on his face. "W-Well… I-I um…" she said, pausing to sniffle slightly while she tried in vain to keep her tears held back. When the first tear trickled down her cheek, Lucy lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself, nervously nibbling on her lower lip. "Please don't be m-mad at me…"

"Mad? What the…" Laxus frowned when Lucy curled in on herself even more, then he placed the box down on the counter once he was standing directly in front of her. He carefully tilted her chin up to look into her red-rimmed eyes and whispered, "What's goin' on, little sis? Why do you have this?"

Even with her head tilted back, Lucy couldn't look at him. She took a small step away from the inviting warmth that always radiated from Laxus and turned her back to him. "I-I…"

Laxus sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He loved Lucy to death, but she was as fucking stubborn as they came. It was just one more reason everyone had no issue thinking they were related, but sometimes she surprised even him with how like a mule she could be. "Lucy, you can talk to me. Freed's worried about you. He told me that  _on top_  of being sick as hell for the past few weeks, you've been kinda distant. He figured if you were gonna talk it out with anyone, it'd be your big brother…"

Lucy's lower lip trembled for only a moment, her shoulders shuddering as she sobbed silently. Everything she'd been trying to keep to herself for the past two months couldn't be held back any longer. Not when Laxus sounded so concerned. "He's… He's gonna h-hate me!" she sobbed. "It's all m-my fault!"

Laxus couldn't help but chuckle a little as he said, "I'm pretty sure he helped on this one, little sis." His smile faded in an instant when Lucy's crying only intensified, the scent of her fear and sadness nearly overwhelming his sinuses. He'd never known Lucy to cry like this, which begged the question: just what the hell was she so upset about? "Lucy," he said carefully, "You're starting to scare me…" He couldn't help but picture just why her having a pregnancy test would make the radiant blonde so upset. "Did something happen?" Everything his mind came up with, every reason that he could possibly conjure up for her to think Freed would hate her for being pregnant, for her to cry so much… It was probably the worst possible scenario, but he had to ask. "Did… Did someone hurt you?"

Lucy's eyes went wide as she whirled around to stare incredulously at Laxus. "NO!" she shouted. When his eyebrows rose only slightly, his cerulean gaze boring into her to try and see if she was lying while somehow nearly whispering that she could tell him anything, she sighed. "No," she said softly, her gaze dropping to the floor again. "Nothing like that. I just…" Another shaky sigh slipped past her lips just before she pulled them between her teeth.

Laxus gently pulled the towel-clad woman into his arms, nuzzling her damp locks soothingly. He waited for her to wrap her arms around him just like she always did, but it never came. "So, Freed then," he said. When Lucy nodded sheepishly, he sighed. "And you think that's why you're sick right now?"

Lucy could only shrug in response. "I-I don't know. I'm starting to think it is, since the flu doesn't really last this long. I was hoping that's all it was, but now I'm… W-Well, that is to say, I haven't had… U-Um…"

With a small smirk at how flustered Lucy got, and thinking it was a little ridiculous for her to get all shy about something like that to begin with, Laxus supplied, "Your period's late." He didn't know how she'd managed it, but Lucy seemed to shrink in on herself even further when she silently nodded. They stood in silence for a moment while he rubbed soothing circles on her back, waiting for her to continue. When it didn't seem like she was going to say anything else on the matter, Laxus whispered, "Go on, sis. I'm not gonna judge, okay? You know that."

"I just… It's all my fault this happened, and…" Lucy hiccupped and threw her arms around Laxus's waist. "I-I didn't mean to mess up! Please don't be mad at me, big brother!"

He literally hadn't the foggiest idea where she'd come up with the idea that he'd be mad at her for something like this happening, but he could tell that those thoughts needed to be dissuaded before they could go any further. "Little sis, it's not  _my_  place to be angry if you're pregnant. Especially with a guy like Freed as the father. I mean, I don't think you can find a guy I'd approve of more for you to have a family with. And, at least we know he's got a good head on his shoulders. I'm not mad at you, okay? I promise."

Lucy nodded quickly, but her tears didn't stop. She whimpered when Laxus' grip on her tightened slightly, then buried herself further into his embrace.

"Do you not want a family?" Laxus whispered.

"I do," Lucy admitted. "Eventually… Like, after we're married and have a chance to talk about it. I don't even know where he stands on anything like this."

"Well, you guys are careful—it's kind of a given since that's just how Freed is. Even still, no matter how careful you are… There's no guarantee that this kinda thing won't happen."

And that's where the problem lay. Lucy and Freed were probably the safest people in the entire guild when it came to sex—using both condoms and birth control pills as contraception to severely reduce the likelihood of her getting pregnant. And the one day they had forgone the use of condoms, they had been banking on Lucy's birth control pills. It was stupid in retrospect, even she knew that. But, leave it to hormones and three weeks of separation filled with her constant researching and his own inner turmoil over her well-being to throw all of that right down the toilet. "That's just it… We… We  _weren't_  careful! It's  _my_  fault that we weren't…"

"How's it your fault? Help me understand, sis."

Lucy sighed and wiped her eyes, taking a few deep breaths to try and control her emotions even for a little while. "A-After Freed was taken," she whispered weakly, biting her lower lip when Laxus went rigid for a second before pulling her closer, "You remember how I only ate and slept when I had to? And how I only stopped researching long enough to use the bathroom or take a shower?"

"Trust me, sis. Those three weeks are something I'll never be able to forget…" Laxus let out a soft sigh while he nuzzled her hair. He hated thinking about just how horrible things had gotten, but at least they were getting somewhere. The fact that this was what had been eating her up all this time, the possibility of being pregnant, was something he couldn't even begin to really wrap his head around. "What does that have to do with anything though?"

"I wasn't taking care of myself properly, Laxus," she whispered guiltily, a grimace pulling at the corners of her mouth. "And the routine I had before he was taken completely changed into researching… Which means, I wasn't taking my birth control like I was supposed to… Or… At all, really." A heavy sigh slipped past her lips when Laxus kissed the top of her head, silently encouraging her to continue. "The day we got him back, we uh… Well, we didn't exactly have anything  _with_ us, so… We um… Well…"

"You did it anyway." Lucy nodded weakly against his chest. "I'm assuming Freed said something about how you guys should stop?" When she nodded again, he sighed and shook his head. Honestly, the concept of her being pregnant wasn't all that terrifying from  _his_  perspective. Lucy and Freed had the entire guild that loved them, and he knew that everyone would be ecstatic about the idea of a baby being added to their crazy family. Mira especially. Then again, her reaction alone could have been enough to cause fear in anyone where babies were concerned. Still, Lucy wasn't even twenty yet, so maybe that was adding onto the nearly hysterical state she'd dissolved into. Regardless of the reason for it, Laxus needed to help his little sister see that this wasn't entirely her doing. "Alright, listen up sis… Unless you tied him down, gagged him so no one could hear his screams, and fucked his brains out it's  _not_  all on you. I already know that you didn't do that, since he was just as loud as you were, and we could hear you guys from the lobby… Well,  _I_ could, but still."

"But, what if he gets mad at me? He did tell me we should stop… and I kinda pushed the issue until—"

Laxus growled low in his throat, his eyes boring into Lucy's when she quickly lifted her head to gape at him. "If he does, then I'll beat his ass. Freed's one of my best friends, but you're my  _sister_. You're  _kin_ , Lucy."

"So? That doesn't mean you need to hurt him…" she whispered worriedly. The last thing she wanted was for Freed to get hurt because of her mistake, or to cause a rift between him and Laxus. The two were best friends, and had been before Lucy ever came into the picture. She didn't want this to tear everything to shreds, especially not when Freed was still so torn up about what had happened to him. He needed stability, a sense of order, and this whole mess would throw that right out the window.

"On the contrary, it does if  _that_  happens… Your happiness, your safety, everything concerning you takes precedence over everyone else for me until I find a mate and have kids of my own. Even then, you'll still be one of the most important people in my life. So, I'm gonna throw this out there just so you know—and I hope that it  _never_ comes to this." Laxus paused and wiped her tears away with his thumb, then tenderly cupped her cheek. "If things don't work out for whatever reason… if you  _ever_  need a place to go… Hell, if you just want someone to talk to, or  _anything at all_  you can come to me, okay?" He smiled softly when he saw her lips trembling and the shine of fresh tears welling in her scared brown eyes. "No matter what, you can count on Big Brother Laxus to be there for you, Lucy."

Lucy sniffled loudly and dove back into Laxus' broad chest, nodding quickly as his arms wound around her.

"I'm serious," he whispered. Laxus nestled his nose in her hair again and started rubbing soothing circles on her back, taking a deep breath of her scent. He hated that she was so scared of something, and that there was no way for him to make this issue go away for her. Lucy was a grown woman who could take care of herself, but he would still be there for her if she needed someone to lean on. He highly doubted Freed was going to freak out over the news like Lucy feared, but his offer was there nevertheless. "You remember the night you got that letter from the princess?"

Lucy nodded. Of course she remembered that night. It had been the night she'd gained some sense of her emotions back from Bickslow and Evergreen's presence when she needed them the most. That entire day had been one horrible experience in retrospect, from attacking and nearly killing Gray to the guilt that had tried to consume her. Then the letter from the princess that said there wasn't much of anything that could be done. Thinking about it in that moment had Lucy's heart aching. She had fought so hard to get Freed back, and now she could possibly lose him because of the mistake she made.

"I told you then that if we never got him back, then you'd always have me by your side. That also goes for if things go south for any reason. It doesn't matter to me what the reason is, Lucy. If you come to me with a problem, I'll do everything in my power to help you."

"Th-Thank you, Laxus."

"Any time, little sis," he whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too…" Lucy sighed and cuddled closer, the first genuine smile in two months finally breaking out on her face. It was subdued, and nowhere near as vibrant as it normally was, but she felt a little better knowing that her big brother supported her no matter what. Even if she lost Freed, something that she was certain would break her completely with no hope of returning to who she once was, at least she would have  _someone_  in her life that would care about her.

They stood in silence for several minutes, with Laxus simply holding the sweet blonde and hoping that everything would turn out alright. Finally, when her tears started to die down, he chuckled sadly and said, "You really should have talked to me sooner…"

"I didn't want to worry anyone, since there's no way of knowing until I pee on the stick in that box…" Lucy mumbled.

"You mean you haven't even done it yet?"

Lucy winced and shook her head. Honestly, she almost didn't want to take the test in there. Part of her firmly believed that her ignorance of a life growing inside of her would be better. She could just ignore it until she started showing, and then come clean about the whole thing. The only problem with that was that she needed to take care of herself if she was with child. She wasn't raised to shirk her responsibilities, and the life she and Freed may have created was completely innocent in all of this. It had been her choice to sleep with him without protection, so who was she to try and run away from the responsibility that resulted from that night?

Laxus looked over at the box on the counter, finally noticing that it was still sealed. He rolled his eyes at that. Lucy was probably freaking out over nothing. If she hadn't taken the test yet, then there was still a very good chance that this was just the flu and she was blowing it all way out of proportion. He didn't really blame her for feeling a little worried, because that was definitely a big step, but she didn't even have all the pieces to the puzzle. "I'm gonna go wait in your room while you handle that, then you can come out and get dressed while we wait."

"Where's Freed at?" Lucy whispered. "I thought he would have been back up by now…"

"He went to the store to get you some more medicine. Wendy told him about another kind that might help." Laxus tenderly kissed her forehead, then took a deep breath as he pulled away. With an encouraging smile, and a light squeeze to her shoulders, he said, "Bring your brush out and we'll just relax until it's time, sis." He paused in the doorway to the bathroom and looked back at the teary-eyed blonde. "And, Lucy?" he said softly.

"Yeah…"

"I think he'll be happy if you end up being pregnant." Laxus smiled when her gaze shot up to his in surprise. "No way in hell is he gonna let something like this scare him off… Just remember he loves you. Alright, little sis?"

Lucy nodded and took a deep breath as Laxus walked out of the bathroom. She knew that she'd grown more distant toward Freed since realizing that she might be pregnant, and she'd seen how concerned he was every time he asked if there was something on her mind—even when he didn't ask, but just watched her. Still, ever since she'd gotten sick, he'd always made sure to let her know he was about to leave and when to expect him back. Sure, she'd been taking a bath when he left, but that had never stopped him before.  _'I really screwed up,'_  she thought guiltily. How was she supposed to tell Freed that the reason she'd been so distant was because she didn't want to worry him, when all she had done was make him worry even more by keeping it quiet?

She had kept something huge from him for two whole months, when their entire relationship was based on honesty and communication. If there was something that was upsetting Freed, he knew that she was there for him, and would listen whenever he was ready to talk about it. But, he at least  _told_  her if he wasn't ready yet. He didn't try to bury it and make sure she was none the wiser to his own inner turmoil. Regardless of the results, or her own fear of the consequences, Lucy needed to come clean to him. And then beg him to forgive her for keeping this from him. For clearly hurting him when all he'd wanted to do was help her. Freed trusted Lucy with everything, but her fear had caused her to take that trust for granted.

With a shake of her head, Lucy turned and picked up the box on the counter. She quickly tore it open and read the small pamphlet of instructions, then made her way to the toilet. Once she was seated, Lucy came to realize that this was the most nerve-wracking pee of her entire life. Her whole future rested on one little stick that she was holding between her legs with shaky fingers. She took another deep breath and closed her eyes, then wished with everything she was worth that the small window would only tell her that she'd been worrying over nothing.

' _One, two, three, four, five.'_

Lucy opened her eyes and carefully pulled the test away while she finished her business, capping it and holding it as though one wrong move would cause the entire world to crumble. As far as she was concerned, the test was fully capable of doing just that. She carried it back out to the counter where the box and instructions were sitting, then set it down on the paper where she could easily look from the viewing window to the result key once it was ready. It was pretty simple: one line meant no baby and a celebration, and two lines meant there would be some rather big changes in her near future. She looked at herself in the mirror, wincing when she saw the bags under her eyes and just how pale she'd gotten. She'd lost weight—although not nearly as much as when she'd been cooped up in the office for three weeks—and really just looked like death right then.

There was a small roiling in her stomach that had Lucy grimacing, along with a fresh wave of mildly heated vertigo that swept through her. She had been out of bed for way too long, and her energy was already starting to wane. All she had to do was wait five minutes, and then she could bawl like a baby over the results—whether positive or negative—and then pass the hell out for about a week. With a heavy sigh and a trembling hand pressed to her forehead, Lucy picked up the brush and said, "Laxus… Can you come in here?"

Not a moment later, the bathroom door opened to reveal Laxus taking long strides toward her. "Everything alright?" he asked quickly. "Is it done already?"

"N-No," Lucy whispered weakly once she was able to lay her head on his chest. She smiled when he handed her a fresh tissue so she could blow her nose. "I just don't feel too great…"

Laxus put a hand to her forehead and frowned when he realized she was even hotter than earlier. Without another moment's hesitation, he carefully lifted her into his arms and took her over to the bed. "Stay right here, sis. I'll get you some clothes, and we'll take your temperature."

Lucy sighed and leaned her head back against the headboard, staring at the ceiling while Laxus played the role of nurse. Only a minute later, he was by her side again with a small pile of clothes, a thermometer, and a glass of water. She gave him a shaky smile and opened her mouth, promptly closing it once the thermometer was in place, then closed her eyes while they waited to find out what her temperature was. She would have preferred to start getting dressed, but she was supposed to stay still so the results weren't skewed.

Laxus gently held Lucy's hand, his thumb brushing back and forth over her guild mark. When the small beep sounded, he pulled the thermometer out and frowned. "What was it this morning?"

"102."

Laxus sighed and looked up at Lucy's face to see a light sheen of sweat on her brow. "We really should have you see a doctor, sis," he said worriedly. "You're at 104 again."

Lucy frowned and shook her head. "No doctors."

"Why? You've been really fuckin' sick for almost a month now, and this is more than just some puking from morning sickness."

Lucy sighed and swiped a hand over her face, internally grimacing when she felt how sweaty she was. "Just… No doctors, Laxus. We'll wait for Wendy to get back."

"She's not due back for another month, Lucy," Laxus answered as he reached for her clothes. "That's way too damn long to wait."

"Yeah, well…" Lucy frowned and looked back up at the ceiling, "That's what I'm doing."

"Lucy…" Laxus groaned in frustration, then took a deep breath. He waited while she slowly put her clothes on, then took the towel from her and hung it up in the bathroom. He didn't dare look at the test just yet, because he was pretty sure that if he saw something before it was time, she'd be able to see it on his face. He walked back into the room to see her already sitting towards the center of the bed, so he settled himself behind her and pulled her into his chest for a minute. "Just hear me out, alright?" he whispered.

Lucy sighed and nodded, using a fresh tissue to wipe away the never-ending mucus from her nose. She jolted in surprise when she felt a large hand resting on her stomach, just below her navel.

"You might have more than just yourself to think about, sis," Laxus said. "It's your job to make sure you're healthy, especially if you've got a little one in here. Which means going to see a doctor when you're sick."

"And what do you think a doctor can do that Porlyusica and Wendy can't?" Lucy asked.

"You won't know until you try. You could have already known if you're pregnant by now if you'd gone to a doctor."

"I didn't want to involve anyone, Laxus," Lucy said stubbornly.

"Well, not involving anyone has made you and Freed  _both_  miserable for the past month, so maybe it's time to suck it up," Laxus shot back. When Lucy tried – rather pathetically with how weak her illness had made her – to pull away, he sighed. "Are you sure you're not really a fucking Dreyar? You're worse than me  _and_  Gramps put together."

"Might as well be…" she grumbled petulantly.

"Look, all I'm saying is you've gotta think about what's best for the baby – if there is one…"

"I'll go see Porlyusica after I talk to Freed," Lucy said after another tense minute of silence. That was her priority. She needed to talk this out with him first, and then they could go from there. "Regardless of what the test says, I'll go… Okay?"

Laxus nodded and wrapped his arms around her. It seemed Lucy had finally figured out that she really fucking needed to talk to Freed. The poor guy was beside himself with worry over this whole sickness that Lucy had, and the fact that she had pulled away from him only made it worse. "Want me to stick around while you talk to him?"

"No," Lucy said, sounding unsure even to herself. "I-I've gotta do it on my own. You can head down to the guild to see Mira, get some fresh air… Maybe do some paperwork for Master."

"Very funny," Laxus grumbled. When Lucy let out a soft laugh, he shook his head. "You're enjoying the torture he puts me through way too much…. But, at least it got you to laugh."

"Schadenfreude, Laxus," Lucy giggled as she sat up to look at him over her shoulder. She grabbed the brush and handed it to him, then took a sip of the water he'd brought her while he started brushing her hair. "Taking pleasure in other's pain."

Laxus shook his head and chuckled. "That's fucked up…"

"Everyone does it. How many times have you laughed at Bix when I kick him, or when Ever hits him with her fan?" Lucy smirked and added, "Or when Freed threw that book at his head so hard the words on the spine were actually imprinted on his cheek…"

Laxus laughed when he remembered that day. Leave it to Bickslow to think that Freed needed to loosen up a little, then proceed to start tickling the Rune mage's nose with the end of his green ponytail. For his part, Freed had showed an amazing amount of restraint. He'd lasted all of ten minutes before finally chucking the giant tome at Bickslow's face. "Okay, I see your point…"

Freed couldn't help stop smile that graced his face when he saw Lucy sitting with Laxus on the bed. He really never could when it came to those two. While it might have stung that Laxus was more likely to find out what had been bothering her, there seemed to be a little more life in her eyes. That was all that mattered anyway; not who was able to help her, just that someone accomplished it.

Lucy hummed happily when she felt Freed's lips press a tender kiss to her forehead, her eyes sliding closed as the bristles of her brush danced along her scalp. "You guys spoil me too much," she giggled.

"You deserve it," was their simultaneous reply. Both Laxus and Freed chuckled when she let out another laugh, and Freed shook his head while making his way toward the bathroom to put away the newest medicine he'd gotten for Lucy. She wouldn't be able to take it without eating right before she took it, so he was planning on just putting it in the medicine cabinet until lunch rolled around.

Lucy sighed in contentment, and Laxus narrowed his eyes while he stared at the bathroom door Freed had just gone through. "Uh, sis?" he whispered carefully. "Did you maybe wanna talk to him  _before_  he sees the test in there?"

Lucy's eyes shot open in an instant. "Shit… Oh, fuck me…" she whispered as she started scrambling off of the bed. Before her foot even touched the floor, a loud crash sounded out from the bathroom, followed by a solid thud. She froze then. Her brain couldn't seem to comprehend what she'd heard, and Lucy instantly felt panic swelling inside of her. "L-Laxus," she choked out as her throat constricted.

Laxus scowled and jumped off of the bed, pulling Lucy to her feet and rushing into the bathroom. They were greeted with the sight of Freed sprawled out on the floor, with Lucy's makeup that had been on the counter surrounding him, his hair covering his face, and the instructions for the pregnancy test. "Well, fuck."

Lucy's blood ran cold as she numbly walked into further into the room. Maybe it was just shock that there was a pregnancy test to begin with. That was entirely plausible.  _'Yeah, it just caught him off guard,'_  Lucy told herself,  _'That's all…'_  She watched the slow rise and fall of his chest when she was finally standing over him, and then she was simply unable to move. She just couldn't do it. She was absolutely terrified of finding out what the test said. A glance at the small clock on the wall told her that it was time to look at the test anyway, but she just couldn't find it in herself to look at the stick that was balancing precariously on the edge of the counter.

Laxus gently nudged Lucy's shoulder when she whimpered. "Go on, sis. Let's see what we're dealing with here, okay? I'm right here with you…"

Lucy nodded slowly.  _'Please, just one line… One line…'_  She forced her hand to move toward the stick, then paused. She didn't want to pick it up. She hadn't even wanted to have to take the thing in the first place.

Another minute passed in silence before Laxus whispered, "Lucy, you've gotta look. It's okay." This was something she had to do for herself. He could be there to support her, but she had to face this fear head on. There was just no way around it.

She nodded again, swallowing thickly, then slowly shifted her gaze to the test. Everything seemed to suddenly have so much more detail than she'd originally thought – the woodgrain of the cabinets, the countertop, a small dusting of powder from her compact that had apparently opened when Freed passed out and knocked everything over – but she knew it was just her mind trying to avoid the inevitable. She stared at the cap of the test for a long moment, and with one final deep breath, her eyes shot to the little results window.

"Shit!" Laxus shouted as he shot forward, wrapping his arms around Lucy as her knees buckled. The pair slowly lowered to the ground, and a strangled whimper left him when Lucy began to sob while clutching herself tightly to his shirt.  _'Happy tears,'_  he thought,  _'Let these be happy…'_  His lips gently kissed the crown of her head, his nose nestling in her golden locks, and he felt his heart shatter when the barest whisper caught his attention.

"I've ruined everything…" Lucy watched as if everything was in slow motion while the weight of that test's results finally tipped the scales and finally sent the test over the edge of the counter. Her eyes shot to Freed, her fiancé that had lost consciousness because he saw what the test said. She couldn't hear Laxus whispering that things would be okay, that he'd help her and Freed in any way they needed, or even that he loved her. Everything slowly bled together as her vision blurred, until she clamped her eyes shut and buried her face in the broad expanse of her brother's shirt. Her world came crashing down around her with the descent of that test, and once it clattered to the floor, Lucy felt the knowledge sink in completely. She was pregnant.


	17. Failure

Freed's steps slowed as he walked through the front gate that led to his and Lucy's home, the early morning air filling his lungs as he took a deep breath. Being there for her day in and day out had worn him down, especially since she had been pushing him away so much before he saw that test. He loved her with his entire being, and he knew that he wouldn't abandon her when she needed him, but the atmosphere in their home seemed so stifling sometimes. He'd found himself more often than not having to step outside just so he could breathe. So he could try and find some semblance of peace when he realized that the woman he loved had been hiding something so major from him.

And therein lied the problem. Lucy had never lied to him, just as he'd never lied to her. Any time he had attempted to keep something from her, it had never worked. Part of the reasoning for it had been that he felt secrets were the same as lying, and his magic and love of languages nearly forbade him from doing it as far as he was concerned. But Lucy… He'd thought she was the same. That she would trust him enough to open up about what was bothering her, or at least tell him there was something wrong and she would talk about it when she felt ready. He had done that on more than one occasion with her, so what had made her feel as though she didn't have the same luxury?

Why had Lucy not told him that she could be pregnant? He knew it as soon as he saw that little stick on the counter. That was what she'd been hiding from him. The possibility of a small life that they had created was what had caused her to leave him in the dark. And he hated it.

He couldn't be a father this soon in his life. He was too young, they both were. He and Lucy had left behind the life of high society where women were expected to marry as young as sixteen and instantly start birthing their new husband's children. He couldn't be a parent when he was so thoroughly messed up himself. What he'd endured in captivity still wrought so much pain deep within his soul. There was no way he could possibly be the father that a child would look up to.

He looked down at the bag of medicine in his hand once he was inside the house again. The slight crinkle of paper as his fist tightened around it was nearly deafening as silence reigned supreme in their home. Before Lucy had come into his life, his home was always silent. He'd preferred it that way, to be completely honest. But now? Now that he'd grown so accustomed to hearing her laughter, or her voice while she chatted with their team? How she always got him to dance with her at the strangest of times, regardless of the presence of music. The sounds of her cooking, or her spirits popping up and spending time with her. Everything that he loved, the life that had permeated their home because of the blonde's presence… It was just. Gone.

There was no more laughter, no life, no love. Not with her being so sick. It struck him as odd that even the small shuffling sounds he could occasionally hear from the second floor were utterly silent, since he'd decided to take some time and try to figure out just how he was supposed to be a father when he was still hardly an adult himself. Laxus had stepped in to care for her, just like he knew the Slayer would when his sister was ill, and Freed had been able to do whatever he needed to sort through his confusion and fear. He was still very far from having any answers, it seemed.

Each step he took through the home he shared with the woman he loved felt like it was weighted with lead. The world seemed to be weighing him down, but he still trudged to the kitchen and set the medicine down on the counter. He paused for a minute, just staring at the white bag that held the medicine he hoped was the key to Lucy getting better. He didn't even know if she  _was_  getting better, and he hoped Laxus would come downstairs soon so he could find out how she was doing.

He just couldn't bring himself to speak with her just yet. Not until he knew where he stood on this pregnancy issue. She had kept it from him, and he felt the pang of betrayal so sharply that it made his chest clench with an unbearable tightness. He had given everything of himself to her, but Lucy hadn't done the same. She hadn't trusted him to be there for her through it. Instead, she chose to leave him out of something so important, such a monumental moment of their relationship, and he'd found out by seeing a test on the counter.

Was that how she planned on telling him that she was pregnant? Would it be selfish of him to say that he didn't want her to have a child? Could he even ask that of her? He couldn't do this, but maybe… Maybe she felt the same way, and was just waiting until she wasn't sick to go to a doctor and have the problem dealt with.

 _'Problem?'_  he thought sourly. Was a child really a problem? Was that what he thought this was? Just a mistake that they needed to get rid of as quickly as possible? It didn't sit well with him, but for the first time in his life… His thoughts were so jumbled that he couldn't figure out where to begin to unravel the knotted and gnarled mess within his mind.

With a heavy sigh, and deciding that Lucy and Laxus had most likely opted for taking a nap, Freed turned around and made his way to the study again. He would just read a book until Laxus came downstairs, then he could ask how Lucy was doing. Even though he felt as though he couldn't trust her, something that hurt more than he'd imagined possible, he needed to know that she was doing alright. He still loved her, and he knew that it would take time to work through this, but first he had to come to terms with what was happening.

It felt like only moments had passed before he was nodding off at his desk with the book he was reading falling limply into his lap. The sudden clatter as the tome slid to the floor jolted Freed into sudden consciousness, and he sat forward with a start. The darkness outside of the window in the study had a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth, and he glanced at the clock to see that he'd been at his desk until nearly midnight. He'd spent the entire day in his study, and hadn't heard Laxus come down once. Maybe he'd just been so enthralled by the text that he hadn't heard the Slayer.

He stood slowly after depositing the book on the desk, stretching with a small groan. He wasn't necessarily surprised when he saw the house was bathed in darkness, based on the time alone, but he still turned on the light to the kitchen as he passed. And then he froze. The bag of medicine was still in the same place he'd left it.  _'Maybe she hasn't finished the other medicine,'_  he mused.

He turned the light off and made his way up the stairs in the dark, staying as quiet as he could manage so Lucy wouldn't be woken up when she needed the rest. He slipped into the master bedroom, frowning when he saw that she still wasn't sleeping in their bed like she had been that first night. He'd watched her sleeping that night for so long, and just hadn't been able to bring himself to lie down with her. He ached for it now. He wanted to feel her arms around him, to hear her even breathing while she slept so contentedly next to him. He wanted to wake up with Lucy in his arms and feel her playing with his hair. He wanted to kiss her sweaty forehead, hear her sniffling softly, and whispering with that adorable stuffiness to her voice that she loved him. He missed hearing that she loved him the most.

With another sigh, Freed went into the bathroom and took a shower. It was while he was rinsing the conditioner from his hair that an odd feeling hit him. It was as though he'd missed something extremely important. Almost like that feeling of dread he got when he couldn't remember locking the front door while they were on a mission. It only got worse the longer he was in the shower, so he finished up as quickly as possible. With only a towel around his waist and his hair still dripping, Freed went to the first place he could think of with this sickening pit of worry growing in his gut. Laxus' bedroom.

He opened the door to find it completely dark, and turned the light on only for all of the air to rush from his lungs. The room was free of occupants. Lucy and Laxus weren't there. The bed was made, and not a single thing was out of place. He backed out of the room, making his way to Bickslow's room. Empty. Evergreen's room. Empty.

"Oh god…" he whispered. "Where is she?"

Freed ran back into his own room, feeling panic swelling with each second that ticked by. The towel around his waist was thrown to the floor when he reached the dresser, and he ripped the drawers open to grab the first pair of boxers and socks he found. His fiancée was missing. His sick and  _pregnant_  fiancée wasn't there. Had something happened that she had to be taken to the hospital?! If that was the case, then why hadn't Laxus told him?!

Freed hopped on one foot then the other while he pulled his clothes on, and made his way to the closet to grab a pair of pants and a shirt. He threw the door open with all the hurried force he could muster, and then he froze.

Her clothes were gone.

"No… No, this can't be right," he choked out, feeling his chest tightening painfully and a horrified sob threatening to spill from him. She couldn't be gone. Not in the way he was thinking. He hurried into the bathroom, throwing open the medicine cabinet and cupboards when he saw that her makeup wasn't on the counter. It was all empty. The shower he'd just vacated didn't have her shampoo and conditioner, or her vanilla bodywash. He ran back to the dresser and pulled the drawers out of it completely, hot tears welling in his eyes when each one flew from the wooden structure with nothing being held inside of them. "N-No… L-Lucy…"

He backed away from the dresser, the room spinning wildly as realization hit him. She'd left him. Lucy had packed up everything of hers, and left. He was positively torn between collapsing to the floor in a sobbing heap, and giving in to the urges of that beast within to throw everything he could find. He was angry. Devastated. Lucy had torn his heart out, and left him with nothing.

Some small part of him was able to function just enough to whisper that he needed to call Laxus. If anyone would know where the woman he loved was at, it would be him.

"I-I need to call him," he whispered brokenly. "Laxus will know what to do…"

Freed turned to get dressed and saw a small, odd pile sitting in the center of the bed. He wiped his tears away, and made his way cautiously toward it.

A lacrima. An overturned picture frame.

He instantly picked up the lacrima and sent a pulse of magic into it to call Laxus, hoping that he would answer. He only had to wait a moment before he saw the familiar scowl, lightning-shaped scar, and burning blue gaze of his oldest and dearest friend.

Laxus blinked once when he saw Freed on the lacrima, his glistening green eyes red and puffy, and his cheeks swollen and stained with tears. He glanced behind him and saw that Lucy was still asleep, so he quickly stood to his feet and made his way out of the house in silence. Only when he was finally standing on the porch did he speak. "Freed."

Freed opened his mouth to start questioning Laxus, only to be cut off.

"Y'know what? Save it, asshole. I don't fucking care  _what_  you have to say," Laxus growled, watching as Freed's face grew pale. "Don't come anywhere  _near_  my little sister or her baby, you fucking cockstain. That's the only warning I'll give you."

Freed stared at the darkened lacrima for a long time after Laxus hung up on him. He had no clue just how long he was standing there, gazing at the orb that had held such a furious image of the man he'd admired for years. Slowly it fell to the bed, and his heart thudded painfully in his chest when he looked at the other item he'd ignored before.

With trembling hands, Freed turned over the picture frame, only for a strangled sob to leave him as he fell to his knees. The first picture of himself and Lucy, sitting at the piano and gazing lovingly into each other's eyes rested in his hands. If that hadn't been enough for him to break down, then the golden engagement ring that was taped to the frame was.

Lucy's ring. He'd lost her for good. Lucy left him, gave up on everything they had together.

Freed held the frame to his chest and let out a loud cry of anguish, finally feeling just what that spell of his could do without having to write the runes on himself. He was alone, completely alone for the first time since Lucy had saved him from that monastery.

Without another thought, he scrambled for the lacrima. He was desperate to talk to her. Just for her to hear him, so they could work things out. He could hardly focus on what was in his hands, and was barely able to see the image that flickered to life on the orb.

"Freed? What the fuck, man?" Bickslow rasped sleepily, rubbing his eyes as he looked over at the clock. "It's like two in the morn—" His voice died when he heard the sobs that were punctuated with heaving breaths coming from the lacrima. He rubbed his eyes again and sat up quickly, blinking repeatedly to try and focus on the orb in his hands. "Freed?" he asked worriedly.

"Who the hell is calling so late?" Cana grumbled as she slowly rolled over, doing nothing whatsoever to cover her bare chest. She glared at the bright light that was coming from the lacrima. "Bix, get the fuck off of that stupid—"

"Sh-She l-l-left m-me…" Freed cried. "L-Lucy's… H-Her ring's on a f-f-frame… And sh-she's  _gone_!"

Cana's eyes shot open when she heard Freed's broken voice. "Lucy's gone?!" she shouted.

Bickslow shook his head at her, then turned back to the lacrima. "Whaddya mean, Cosplayer's ring? What about it?" he asked in confusion. He knew that Lucy had left, but he didn't remember anything about her ring.

Freed turned the frame so Bickslow could see it—the image itself and the ring that was taped to it—then sobbed, "Sh-She l-left… I l-lost her… And… B-Bix, I don't know wh-what to do... I-It hurts so much!"

Bickslow scowled and shot out of the bed, leaving a thoroughly confused Cana lying there staring at him while he rushed around the room and threw his clothes on. "I'm comin' over, Freed," he said quickly. "Shit… I'll… I'll be there soon, okay? Just… Son of a bitch, where the fuck is my shirt?! Freed, I'll be there real soon, I promise." He watched as Freed nodded and continued crying as the lacrima cut off.

"What the hell is going on, Bix?" Cana asked worriedly. "What happened to Lu?"

"Cana, if I could tell you I would," Bickslow said as he hopped into his shoes. He saw that she was about to argue, then rushed over and quickly kissed her forehead. "Please, baby. Just… Trust me on this one, alright? I can't tell you about it."

"I'll find out—"

" _No_ ," Bickslow said with a scowl, holding his visor in his hand. "Cana,  _please._  Keep this one to yourself. Don't tell  _anybody_  about Freed calling tonight. Him and Cosplayer have some serious shit going on right now, and they don't need anyone getting in the middle of it. The team's dealing with it."

"Sure doesn't sound like it if she fucking  _left_  him, Bix," Cana shot back. "That was her engagement ring!"

"Cana. I love you more than fucking anything, but… I need you to butt right the fuck out of this. Please. If not for me, then do it for Lucy, okay? She's got enough on her plate without the whole guild finding out that something else is wrong."

Cana frowned and stood from the bed, then carefully set Bickslow's visor on his head. She leaned up to press a tender kiss to his chin, sighing when his arms wrapped around her. "Fine, I'll leave it alone. Whatever I just saw never happened."

"Thank you," Bickslow whispered gratefully as he rested his head on top of hers.

Cana smirked and kissed him. "I love you too, by the way."

Bickslow blinked, his face turning an unnatural shade of red when he realized what he'd blurted out. "I-I uh… Well, yeah… So… Yeah… Now you know that… and…"

Cana laughed and rolled her eyes. "Go help Freed out, hot stuff. I'll be here or at the guild when you're done." When Bickslow nodded and rushed out of the room, she shouted, "You forgot your babies!"

"Shit! C'mon, babies!"

Cana rolled her eyes when she laid back in the bed as the five totems flew out in pursuit of the Seith mage. She heard the door to Bickslow's apartment open and close, then the locking mechanism returning to its previous locked position. A deep flush crossed her cheeks that had nothing to do with the alcohol in her system when she realized that she had actually admitted to loving Bickslow. That tingling warmth that spread through her didn't have time to fully blossom when she remembered just why he'd been in such a hurry though.

She had never seen Freed so utterly frazzled, and definitely couldn't picture him crying like that. Then again, if Lucy called off the engagement…  _'What the hell happened?'_  she wondered as her eyes slid closed and she drifted off to sleep again.

* * *

Lucy sniffled softly and wiped away her tears again as she cuddled closer to the familiar chest she was lying on. Two muscled arms wrapped around her so perfectly that she couldn't imagine never having them in her life. It just wasn't right; the recent revelation. It couldn't be. She had wished with everything she had in her that the test was wrong, but she knew it wasn't. Deep down, she knew. And what made it all worse was that, even though these arms were comforting and warm, there was a deep chill of fear that had settled itself in her. One that only Freed could rid her of. But he didn't.

After he'd woken up from his little fainting spell from seeing the test, Freed had walked out of the bathroom and locked himself in the study. He hadn't looked at her or Laxus while they sat on the bed as she continued crying. Not a single word had passed his lips as he strode past. He was clearly single-minded in his desire to be alone and think. She wanted nothing more than to talk to him, for him to hold her the way Laxus had been, for those same words that were coming from her older brother to come from her fiancé. But Freed acted as though she and his oldest friend were wholly nonexistent in their home.

 _"Just give him some time to think through it, sis,"_  Laxus had said at the time.  _"Freed plans shit, so surprises are hard for him to deal with. Shouldn't take him too long to accept it. He'll be happy you're pregnant as soon as he can wrap his head around it."_

She had believed her brother. She'd believed that he knew the green-haired mage better than she herself knew him, because of how long the two men had been a part of each other's lives. Freed was logical to a fault, determined to find every nuance he possibly could in things and make sure there were no loopholes or errors. So, an unexpected pregnancy was definitely something he would have a bit of a hard time accepting right away.

She knew that. She understood that about him. It was something she was okay with. For all of twelve hours, she had been as understanding as she possibly could be. And then Freed didn't come to bed that night. Lucy had stayed up as late as she could, waiting for him. She was physically too weak to get down the stairs safely, to ask him if he was coming to bed, so she'd waited as patiently as possible in their room.

She fell asleep alone.

She had a nightmare, and woke up crying and trembling. Only to find that Freed still wasn't there. His side of the bed was mussed, but she had kicked the blankets completely off of the bed in her flailing. His pillow was pristine though. Not a single indentation to let her know he'd actually come to bed. A look at the clock had told her that it was two in the morning.

After an hour of trying to calm herself down on her own, Lucy went to sleep by herself again. She woke up not long after to the sound of the refrigerator closing downstairs. Seeing that his side of the bed was still empty, Lucy slid her hand over to it beneath the covers that she had righted earlier, only to feel just how chilled it was from disuse. Soft footsteps came up the stairs, made their way toward the room, and hope leapt in her chest that Freed was finally coming to be with her. Lucy sat up quickly, a smile on her face at the thought of just being able to feel his arms around her, to know he didn't hate her for what she'd done. Her smile died when she saw Laxus standing in the open doorway with a glass of whiskey in his hand. His room was closer to the stairs than the master bedroom, so he had intentionally come to check on her. Based on the surprise etched onto his face, he had expected to see her sleeping.

 _"Come to bed with me, little sis,"_  he had said after a small sip of the amber fluid in his glass.  _"I'll take care of you."_

Without a moment's hesitation, Lucy clambered from the bed and rushed into his arms, sniffling loudly when she actually heard him grunt from the force of her body running into his. Laxus took her to his room that night, and held her while she cried herself to sleep.

Freed never went to the bedroom to comfort her.

* * *

It took five days of the same treatment for Laxus to finally lose it. Five days of watching over Lucy, letting her cry as much as she wanted, getting her to take her medicine—once it was approved by Porlyusica to be safe for expectant mothers—and actually  _eat_  something. Only four nights of her sleeping in his bed with Freed locked in the study. His room was filled with the bitter salty scent of her tears, and he couldn't take it any longer.

Lucy had said she would go see Porlyusica once she talked with Freed, but with how he was distancing himself from her she had opted for calling the old woman on a lacrima the day after taking the test. Lucy had been told to keep doing what she was doing, to eat when she could, and that the healer would be by once the blonde had gotten over her illness to check on the baby. Laxus thought that Porlyusica should at least do a test of her own to check and make sure Lucy was pregnant, that the old hag should do  _something_  useful, but he was overruled.

On the fifth morning, Laxus called Bickslow while Lucy was eating her breakfast of lightly buttered toast and a single egg. The team hadn't been able to stop by as often as they wanted to so they could see her—since no one wanted to further compromise her immune system, and because Evergreen got sick way too easily. A few simple orders from Laxus had the Seith mage looking at him in confusion, but agreeing nonetheless. Within half an hour, he showed up with everything they would need.

"What's goin' on, bossman?" Bickslow asked once Laxus opened the door.

"I'll tell you in a minute. Stay quiet and follow me," Laxus whispered. He took what Bickslow's totems were carrying into his arms, then turned on his heel and walked up the stairs. He paused just at the top of the landing, and turned to the clearly confused Seith mage. "Stay here until I come back out. Blondie's not gonna like this, but it's fucking happening. And don't make a goddamn sound."

Bickslow furrowed his brow beneath his visor, but nodded anyway. He watched as Laxus put everything down and walked into his room, heard him speaking with the gentle tone that was reserved only for Lucy.

"Once you're done, go ahead and lay down for a bit, okay sis?"

"Sure, Laxus. What are you gonna do?"

"Just a little picking up, that's all." He tenderly kissed her forehead, then he left the room and closed the door. Laxus picked his portion of the load back up, and continued on to the master bedroom. Bickslow followed.

Laxus put everything down on the floor, then closed the door behind Bickslow. He waited until the Seith mage had set his own items down, then brushed a hand through his blond locks while glaring at the ground. "She's coming to stay with me. We're packing her shit up, moving it over there, and then I'll take her there once everything's settled."

"What the fuck did I miss?" Bickslow asked carefully. "Where the hell is Freed? And why's Cosplayer in your room instead of in here?" He paused for only a moment before every worried thought in his head came tumbling out of his mouth. "She's… She's not getting worse is she? Is he on a mission or something? Fuck, is—"

Laxus strode forward and threw a hand over Bickslow's mouth to silence his rambling questions. He levelled his friend with a steely glare, then took a deep breath. "No one hears about this. Is that clear? Ever's the exception. I'll tell her myself. Not Cana, not Elfman, not Mira. Not even fucking Gramps. Absolutely. No one."

Bickslow's eyes widened at the deadly tone of Laxus' voice, his bones rattling with the intensity of its depth as a deep growl rumbled through the blond. He quickly nodded.

"Lucy's pregnant."

Bickslow's jaw dropped at the same time as all five of his babies fell to the floor. His eyes somehow widened even further in shock, and his whole body froze over from surprise and confusion. Slowly, he felt Laxus' hand drop away from his lax mouth, and finally he grinned. "That's awesome."

"Apparently fucking  _not_ ," Laxus growled. When Bickslow looked confused, his wide smile falling away into nothingness, Laxus let out a heavy sigh. "Freed's being a bitch. Like, a total fucking bitch about this. He won't talk to her, or even come anywhere fucking  _near_  her."

"What?!" Bickslow shouted, only to grunt in pain when Laxus snarled and roughly clamped a large hand over the lower half of his face. The thick digits dug into his cheeks, and Bickslow shuddered in fear when he could actually feel the electricity coursing just under his leader's skin.

"Stay. Fucking. Quiet."

Bickslow mumbled a soft, "Mm-hm."

Instead of removing his hand, Laxus' grip tightened slightly on Bickslow's jaw. "She took a test while he was out," he whispered. "Freed came back and saw it before she could even tell him that she thought she might be pregnant. He passed the fuck out, and now Lucy's blaming herself for all of it even more than she fucking was before. To spare myself a whole lot of fucking bullshit of cleaning his blood out of the carpet, I'm taking her to my house. At least she won't be in the same goddamn house as the asshole that knocked her up and then fucking ignored her."

Bickslow whimpered when Laxus' grip tightened even further, feeling the bones in his jaw trying to separate completely. He sighed in relief when the shadow over Laxus' eyes seemed to disappear at the small sound, the large hand instantly releasing him. After returning the feeling to his cheeks, Bickslow took off his visor and tossed it on the bed. "This doesn't sound like him at all, Laxus."

"Trust me, I fucking know."

"Have you tried talking to him about it?"

"No."

That single word was all Bickslow needed to hear to know just how close Laxus was to losing his shit. Freed was the one that they all went to with issues. He was the person that had answers out the damn wazoo. And Laxus had never kept anything from the Rune mage. Even his plans for Fantasia had been brought up to Freed before Bickslow and Evergreen knew about it. There was a certain level of respect between the two that had always seemed to be deeper than any bond imaginable. One word from the blond, and Bickslow knew for a fact that Laxus couldn't find it in himself to talk to the man that was hurting his kin. "Do you want me to—"

"No. That bastard can figure this shit out on his own," Laxus answered with a sneer as he grabbed a box and started packing Lucy's clothing from the dresser. "He made my sister cry non-fucking-stop for five days, Bix. He's leaving her to do this shit alone, when she's still sick as hell. She can't even get down the goddamn stairs, and suddenly a little fucking baby that  _he_ put in her has made him hide in the office like a fucking pussy. I'm not letting him anywhere near her. He doesn't fucking deserve her, not after this shit."

Bickslow sighed and picked up a box, then made his way over to the closet. He transferred his babies' souls from the totems to Lucy's clothing, and systematically pulled everything down and into its temporary cardboard home. "He's ignoring her  _completely_?"

"She's been sleeping in my room since the night she found out. He hasn't left the study for more than the necessities, and always when she's passed the fuck out. All she fucking wants is for him to let her know she's not alone, and that little wiry fuck is hiding with all of his goddamn books." Laxus gripped the edge of the dresser and glared at the pictures on the top of it. "No way in hell is he good enough if he's gonna leave her high and fucking dry when she's like this…"

"How bad is she, Laxus?"

"She can stand long enough to get to the bathroom. She's still congested, dizzy as hell even when she's in bed. Her fever won't go under a hundred, and she's… Lucy's not fucking getting better… And now there's a goddamn baby that's depending on her."

"Maybe…" Bickslow muttered uncomfortably. "Maybe he doesn't know what he's doing is upsetting her?"

"Oh, he knows  _exactly_  what he's fucking doing," Laxus growled. "There's no two ways about it. She was crying her fucking eyes out when he finally woke up, and he just walked right past us. Like, bawling. The whole nine yards and then some."

"Are you sure it's a good idea to take her away though?" Bickslow asked, grabbing a second box to hold more of her clothing. "I mean, they were away from each other for so long, and… I-I don't wanna see her soul like that again."

"When it's time to take her shit to my place, you can go and sit with her while I get everything situated over there," Laxus answered. He grabbed another box and walked into the bathroom, hearing Bickslow following him. They worked together to collect all of Lucy's belongings from the counter, medicine cabinet, cupboards beneath the sink, and her bath accessories. "You look at her soul, and then tell me if you think she's better off without him. I can't let my baby sister suffer, Bix.  _I'll_  be the fucking dad to her little one if I have to."

"You really think Mira will be alright with that?" Bickslow chuckled.

"If she's not, then she's not the one for me," Laxus answered sadly. He sighed and looked up at Bickslow when the Seith mage stilled. "Mira's amazing, and she's always understanding when it comes to this kin thing. It sucks not being able to see her as much as I want, and I miss the hell out of her, but Lucy needs me. And this shit in my head is telling me that it's my job to step in as an adoptive father if Freed can't man the fuck up. I'm not saying I'm gonna marry her and all that—because that's just fucking sick—but… I'll be a whole hell of a lot more than an uncle if I have to be."

Bickslow chuckled again, then lightly punched Laxus' shoulder. "Alright, man. But if you're gonna be Daddy Laxus, then I call dibs on godfather."

Laxus sighed and shook his head. "No fucking way…"

Bickslow dramatically lamented his instant denial. "I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody…"

Laxus snorted. "That's 'On the Waterfront', jackass… Not 'The Godfather'."

Bickslow grinned. "Made ya laugh though."

Laxus chuckled as he carried the full box out into the bedroom, only after they double checked to make sure they had everything of Lucy's. He switched it out for an empty box, then made his way to the small writing desk in the corner. "Stay over there, man. If she finds out you saw her book, you're so fucking dead."

Bickslow threw his hands up in surrender, then decided to start taping the boxes closed while Laxus worked on packing up her manuscripts and letters. "You sure you want me to stay with her while you unpack? I could do it so you can be here."

Laxus smirked and looked over at Bickslow. "You remember how we all helped her feel something?"

Bickslow smiled reminiscently and nodded. There was no way he could forget the night when she'd hugged him. That was a shit day in general, what with her attacking Gray and all that, but that hug had been one of the best damn things he'd ever experienced. And Lucy only made it better by telling him that he was able to make her happy when she couldn't feel a thing otherwise.

"I want my baby sister to feel happy again, Bix. She needs you to cheer her up."

Bickslow grinned and gave Laxus a salute. "On it, bossman. Mission: Cheer Up the Cheerleader, Accepted."

Laxus rolled his eyes and shook his head with a smirk. "Why the hell do I associate with you again?"

"Because you think my tractor's sexy…" Bickslow answered coolly. "It really turns you on… Want me to keep going?"

Laxus turned to tell Bickslow to shut up, only to pause when he heard the soft, stuffy laugh of his little sister as she stood in the doorway to the room. His eyes locked onto her, with one of his own large shirts covering her instead of one of Freed's dress shirts, and he couldn't help but feel like he was flying high above Earthland during a lightning storm when he saw her smile. One look at Bickslow let him know exactly what Lucy had found so funny.

Bickslow had both hands behind his head, and was undulating his hips as awkwardly as humanly possible while somehow still managing to thrust in Laxus' general direction.

"You're even kinda crazy 'bout my farmer's tan," Bickslow added while winking at Lucy. "C'mon Laxus… Just admit it…"

Laxus sighed in exasperation, dropping his head to his hands. "I fucking hate you, Bix…" He slowly lifted his head, looking right into Lucy's eyes when she turned her tired gaze toward him. "Blondie, I…" he said solemnly, "I think his tractor's sexy."

"He thinks my tractor's sexy," Bickslow laughed, throwing several more forceful thrusts out toward Laxus and punctuating each one with a lewd grunt. "I knew it!"

Lucy smiled and leaned against the doorframe. "Bix, we  _all_  think your tractor's sexy," she laughed, her eyes sliding closed once Laxus pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. She sighed and wiped her nose, then cuddled closer to her behemoth of a brother. "What's with the boxes?"

"Well, I wanted to tell you later," Laxus whispered carefully.

"You're taking me to your house?"

Laxus nodded. "You're gonna live with me, little sis. I'll take care of you and the little one, okay?"

Lucy sniffed back her tears and nodded quickly. Maybe it was for the best if she wasn't in the same house as Freed. She didn't even really know if he was there, since she hadn't seen him after he walked out of the room that day. She needed to sort through her own emotions, to figure out just how she was going to manage being a young mother. She knew it was possible, and she would do everything in her power to be the best mom out there. She just wished that Freed would be a part of it.

Maybe this was what she really needed. To get away from everything, get herself through this illness, and then she could decide what to do. The thought that Freed was clearly giving her his opinion on the matter by shutting her out this way, that he wanted nothing to do with her or their child, broke her heart. "I-I'm sorry, L-Laxus…"

"No reason to apologize," he whispered tenderly, looking up at Bickslow to see his back was turned to them while he continued taping up boxes. He wanted to get the Seith mage's attention, to have him look at Lucy's soul and see what he found, but that was when Laxus noticed Bickslow taking a shaky breath just before brushing a couple tears from his cheeks. "I love you  _and_  the little one, Lucy. And I always will, okay?"

That was all it took for Lucy to bury her face in Laxus' shirt and break down, incoherently telling him that she loved him too. That was what she had wanted to hear Freed say, but she never did. It was what she had quite literally dreamed of, but she was forced to return to a reality where they might as well be complete strangers. Three little words from Freed would have made this all so much easier, and she wouldn't be leaving the home they shared to live with Laxus. Just an admission that he still loved her, and she wouldn't feel as though the pathetically glued shards of her world were blasted into dust every time she opened her eyes.

* * *

Bickslow scowled at the ground as he made his way through Magnolia. It was still early in the morning, with only the fishermen and bakers awake and preparing for the day while the sun still slept just past the horizon. He hadn't been able to sleep, and hoped that going for a long ass walk would do him some good instead of just tossing and turning while he mulled over the shit situation Lucy and Freed had gotten themselves into. Evergreen was on the same page as he was concerning the whole thing, because she was the only other person that knew what was happening and wasn't stuck right in the middle of it all. They needed to get their heads out of their asses and just fucking  _talk_  to each other.

Bickslow and Evergreen saw just how miserable Freed was when they went to visit him at his home. He still wouldn't come to the guild, because they all knew that people would ask how Lucy was doing and why he wasn't diligently sitting by her side as a good fiancé should be. Bickslow hadn't considered the fact that Freed would be so devastated by Lucy leaving that he would forget to eat, but he was glad that they had gone to check on him when he realized that was the case. He just laid on the couch, staring off into space while he cried. His clothes were crumpled, his hair disheveled, and there was no sign whatsoever of the put-together mage they all knew.

Laxus was constantly threatening Freed's life when Bickslow was around—as long as Lucy couldn't hear him. Bickslow understood it to a point: Freed had hurt his little sister by refusing to be there for her when she needed him. Still, the hostility that was radiating from the blond Slayer was getting worse than what they had witnessed during Fantasia, or even at the Grand Magic Games when he'd faced Raven Tail. It just wasn't healthy. The small consolation was that all of that unbridled rage in Laxus was swept right down into himself as soon as Lucy was around. Then he was all soft words and tender hugs for the girl, and reassurances that she wouldn't be abandoned by her brother. He did everything in his power to make sure Lucy didn't have to hear Freed's name, or just how upset the Lightning Slayer was over the whole situation.

Lucy was just as miserable as Freed was, except she couldn't just retreat into herself. She had to face this head on, and care for the life that was growing in her. Bickslow could see just how badly she wanted to curl up into a little ball and sob the day away, but she never did it. She still cried, but it wasn't nearly as forceful as before. She actually found a way to smile, and Bickslow did everything he could to make sure it happened every time he went to visit her. Still, she wasn't truly happy. He knew that she missed Freed, and Freed missed her just as much.

"Enough is enough," Bickslow muttered to himself. "Babies, let's go see Freed." He jumped into the air and landed on top of his totems, then thought back to the night Freed had found out Lucy was gone a week before.

Bickslow had rushed into the house and right up the stairs, following the sounds of Freed's cries. The Rune mage had been rocking back and forth with the frame held to his chest, wearing only a pair of boxers and socks. It didn't even require a thought. Bickslow simply rushed right over and pulled Freed into his arms, sighing when he felt just how badly the man was trembling. Lucy was the first girl that Freed ever dated, and Bickslow knew that he was closer to her because of how their relationship began. So, of course the guy was distraught by Lucy leaving him.

It had taken a couple hours to get Freed to calm down, and Bickslow had somehow managed to get him into bed for the first time in a week. He didn't know where Freed had been sleeping before – though he assumed it was the study – but if the guy had just fucking slept next to her, or even laid in the bed and stared at the little blonde, things wouldn't be so messed up.

Bickslow never found out what Freed's reasoning was for pushing Lucy away. He heard every detail of the five days leading up to her moving in with Laxus from both blondes, but Freed just wouldn't talk about it. Or talk in general. And that shit had to stop. There was no way for the two to get past this initial shock of an unplanned pregnancy if they didn't sit down and talk it right the hell out. Ignoring the problem wasn't an option, because there was eventually going to be a  _person_  in this world that they had created. And the problem wasn't a fucking pregnancy to begin with, it was a lack of communication from the two most open people Bickslow knew.

Bickslow jumped off of his babies and started pounding on Freed's door, not caring in the slightest if he woke up the entire neighborhood. No answer. Bickslow groaned in frustration and stormed inside, locking the door behind him. Freed was right where they'd left him the day before. Lying on the couch and staring blankly at the wall. "Freed, we've gotta talk."

Blink.

"Freed, man. C'mon, this is serious. Sit up and talk to me."

Blink.

"That's it, motherfucker!" Bickslow shouted. He lifted Freed into his arms and stormed out the back of the house, then promptly threw the Rune mage right into the pool. His arms crossed over his chest as Freed surfaced, sputtering and coughing up water while he flailed around and tried to get his bearings. Bickslow wasn't helping him out of there. No fucking way in hell was he going to baby the guy now. "Get out of the fucking pool, and sit the hell down."

Freed shivered as he finally pulled himself from the frigid water, sending a baleful glare at Bickslow. "What was that for?"

"You're gonna sit down, and we're gonna hash this Cosplayer shit out right now," Bickslow said firmly.

Freed sighed and rung out his hair. "There is nothing to 'hash out', Bickslow. Lucy left me."

"Yeah, with your fucking  _kid_  growing inside her!" Bickslow shouted. "Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

"It… I don't know…" Freed sighed as he sat down on the grass, not caring in the slightest that he would have grass stains on his… He looked down and sighed when he realized he was only in a pair of pajama pants. He didn't remember putting them on. Then again, he didn't really know how long he'd been out of it for.

Bickslow plopped down in front of Freed and pulled his visor off, setting it on the ground next to his babies. "So talk it out with me. You can't just keep this shit to yourself."

"What's the point?" Freed whispered sadly. "She's gone. She doesn't care about me anymore."

"Do you wanna have a kid right now?"

Freed slowly lifted his head, his tormented gaze meeting with Bickslow's worried one. "No," he finally said after a long minute of silence. "The concept of being a father terrifies me."

"Did you ever think that maybe she's just as fucking scared as you are?" Bickslow asked softly. "You're not the only one going through this, Freed."

"Yes, I've considered it... But Lucy will be a great parent." Freed sighed and sifted his fingers through his hair, tightly gripping the roots and dropping his elbows to his knees. "I won't. I don't know the first thing about children."

Bickslow snorted and rolled his eyes. "You've got nine whole months to figure that out though. And it's a learning experience the whole damn time even after the kid's born. That's what Alzack told me when we thought I knocked Cana up."

"And how would I go about explaining... What happened to me..."

"Uh... I don't fucking know, make it up as you go?" Bickslow supplied, grimacing at the poor explanation. "You don't need answers for everything right now, man. Shit like that's a  _long_  ways away."

Freed shook his head in resignation. "Bickslow... Why did she leave me? Wh-What did I do wrong? I know you've gone to see her... Is she doing alright?"

"Cosplayer's a little better, but not by much. She can hardly eat, but she stopped puking everything up all the time. Still has a fever, can't get too far from the bed without help." He paused and watched as Freed slowly nodded, then said, "Do you really wanna know why she moved in with Laxus?"

"She... That's where she went?"

"Where did you think she was?"

Freed shrugged. "I-I don't know... I called him when I found out she was gone, and... He told me to stay away from her and  _her_ baby... Why did she leave?"

"You ignored her," Bickslow said with a scowl. "She's pregnant and you fucking ignored her, man. Cosplayer's scared shitless, and you're supposed to have her back." He watched as Freed slowly lifted his head, his eyes wide and filled with confusion. It was high time someone just laid it all out there for the guy. Clearly, he wasn't going to figure this out on his own, so Bickslow took it upon himself to help Freed put the pieces together. "You're the one that's supposed to be there for her through thick and fucking thin... So, why the hell is it that her  _brother_  is the one that's willing to take on the responsibility of being a father to  _your_  fucking kid? You're the most mature one out of everybody, so what the hell?"

"I just needed time to think about it," Freed whispered. "I wasn't… I-I didn't…"

"You did ignore her. Why the hell did you do it anyway?"

Freed shook his head as he thought back over the week that led up to Lucy leaving him. "She kept it from me," he whispered, running through every single moment that he'd been tempted to just go and be with her. "Sh-She lied, and…"

Bickslow cocked his head to the side. "Cosplayer doesn't lie, Freed. She sucks at it, first off." A small chuckle wanted to bubble out of him when he remembered trying to teach Lucy how to bluff in poker. That was just sad. "She feels too fucking guilty to lie to people."

"Which is why I can't understand what would make her keep this from me…"

"You'll have to ask her that yourself," Bickslow sighed. He already knew the reasoning behind her keeping it a secret, but it wasn't his job to give Freed all the answers. Just enough to get the guy over to see Lucy. "Here's something for you to think about though… Let's say you guys stay split up for good, alright?"

Freed nodded.

"Hypothetically, what are you gonna do with her being in the guild, having your baby, and  _not_ being in her life? Are you gonna be there for the kid at all? Maybe pretend that kid doesn't exist either? You planning on leaving the team or the guild completely just to stay away from them?" When Freed's head shot up, his eyes wide, Bickslow shook his head. "What do you think it's gonna do to the little one you and Lucy are having, finding out that his dad is right fucking there, but doesn't love him or his mom enough to man the fuck up and be with them?"

"But I do love Lucy. I love her more than anything, Bickslow."

"But you don't love the kid," Bickslow mused. "Pretty fucked up, I'd say. But, what's worse is that Lucy doesn't know  _any_  of this shit that you're worried about, because you won't fucking talk to her. You didn't do it when you had the chance, and now she's gone."

"It wasn't right of me to not speak with Lucy about it," Freed said sadly with a nod. He knew that he should have been open, discussed things with her. He'd figured that out pretty quickly once he saw that frame holding her ring. "But she shouldn't have left without a word..."

"You're an idiot, man," Bickslow sighed. "I came over the night you realized she was gone, remember? She left two days before that, and you didn't even have a fucking clue."

"T-Two days…?" Freed whispered. "H-How…"

" _That's_  how much you shut her out. You had no idea what was going on with her, because you knew Laxus was gonna take care of her." Bickslow stood to his feet after picking up his visor. Just a few more things to say, and he'll have done his job. "You can't rely on them being kin, Freed.  _You're_  the one she wants to marry, not her fucking brother. So, why don't you think about what's best for her instead of the fact that this isn't an ideal situation?"

"I…"

"If you love Lucy, you'll be there for her, and you'll be there for that kid. Because if you're not, then..." His eyes locked with Freed's, his face grim and his tone deadly serious. "Then you're no better than your own dad."

Freed watched Bickslow leave the backyard, his mouth hanging open in shock. Bickslow was right. He was absolutely right, and Freed couldn't even find it in himself to be angry over the fact that the Seith mage had compared him to his own father. The metaphorical light bulb went off over his head, and Freed scrambled to his feet and rushed inside.

Freed had absolutely no idea how he was going to go about making things right, but he refused to be anything like his own father. Not caring in the slightest that he was dripping all over the floor, Freed rushed into his study and grabbed the lacrima on the desk. He wanted to try calling Lucy to talk with her, but if she was still sick, then she needed her rest. Instead, he did the next best thing.

"Hi, Freed. How's Lucy doing?"

"Wendy," Freed answered happily, a wide smile breaking out over his face when he saw that she was sitting on a train. "Please tell me you're on your way back."

"We are," Wendy said. "Is… Is she getting worse?"

"When will you be arriving?"

"An hour, but-"

"Good," Freed said quickly. "I'll meet you at the train station, and explain everything then. I need your help."

Wendy blinked, looking up at Gajeel when he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, then turned to look back at the lacrima. She nodded.

Freed gave her a brilliant smile and cut off the connection. He rushed through the house and up to the bathroom to get himself cleaned up. He was determined to fix things with Lucy, to apologize profusely and beg for her forgiveness. He might not be ready to have a child, but he refused to make the woman he loved go through this alone. If she was going to have a child,  _their_  child, then he was going to be the best father he possibly could be. The memory of that unspoken threat from Laxus made him shiver with dread, but he deserved to be beaten back and forth all over the country for being so blind. He would take whatever punishment his friend deemed necessary, and then some. As long as he could be with Lucy once he was cut out of the body cast.


	18. Amends

Lucy looked up from her plate when the front door of Laxus' home opened and closed. She felt absolutely horrible, but she was determined to stop laying in bed all day and night. The pain in her heart from everything happening - or  _not_  happening, rather - with Freed was tearing her apart, but she couldn't be selfish and wallow in her own misery concerning the man she loved. There was a tiny life depending on her now, and regardless of Freed's involvement in the months to come, she had to be strong. The medicine seemed to be slowly doing its job, so at least she was able to stomach more than a slice of plain toast and a single egg.

A small smile spread across her face once Bickslow appeared in the doorway to the dining room where she was sitting. Laxus always had a way of making her smile, to feel just a bit better than the big ball of depression and illness she had become. But Bickslow… He just had this way of brightening up her day in an instant, no matter what. He was full of silly quirks, the funniest bundle of dorkiness and horrible jokes, all wrapped up in a sweetheart and topped with an adorably perverted bow. One that, if physically manifested, would most likely have dicks hanging off of the ends.

Bickslow grinned when Lucy started giggling as she looked at him. He slowly took off his visor while taking a seat at the table, then picked up a piece of toast from the center plate. "What's so funny, Cosplayer? You're acting like I've got a dick on my face."

Lucy sniffled and started laughing harder. "In my head, you do."

Bickslow froze and blinked, the knife he was using to spread butter across the toasted bread stalling halfway between the tub and its target. "Huh?"

Lucy shook her head. "Nothing, Bix. Just being silly this morning, I guess."

"Well, then dick away, crazy lady," Bickslow laughed. He was more than happy that he had decided to come by Laxus' place after his earlier discussion with Freed. Either the guy was finally going to get his head out of his ass and realize that he and Lucy needed to talk things out, or he was going to drown in the damn pool. Hopefully, Freed chose option A. And, if he did… Then Bickslow would most likely need to run interference with Laxus when he came back from the store. Aside from all that, Lucy was smiling. He wanted to keep her in high spirits for a long as possible, so he folded his freshly buttered toast and took a couple bites out of it.

The toast in Bickslow's hand slowly floated across the table while unfolding itself, revealing a crudely shaped face with different sized eye holes and a wide mouth. "Lucy," it whispered, the mouth hole functioning just like it would if it had a jaw. "Dick away… Dick away…"

Tears instantly sprung up in Lucy's eyes when her grapefruit juice was rocketed right out of her nose. It was probably the most excruciating pain she had ever experienced concerning breakfast beverages, and while she was coughing, four more pieces of the breakfast Laxus had cooked lifted themselves from the table.

"Do it with some bacon," the bacon rasped. "Bacon dicks, Lucy."

Lucy coughed harder when the bacon started slapping the toast-face. Repeatedly. She turned her head to the left when another voice started whispering, and was greeted with the sight of an over-easy egg only an inch away from her.

"Don't forget the eggs," it whispered. "Dicks need eggs. They love to gobble them up…"

"Gobble gobble!" the bacon shouted, flying away from the toast in a frenzy on a direct path towards the egg by Lucy's face.

"Fear not, fair eggling!" her knife shouted. "I shall rend this dick in twain!" A fight quickly broke out between the bacon and the knife, each of them skirting around the other in an intricate dance in the air. "You will not besmirch the egg's honor, you swine!"

"Oh my god," Lucy laughed. "Bix-"

"Oh, you think you're sharp?!" the bacon shouted. "Take some bacon jizz!" It wrapped around the knife's handle, then smeared its grease all over the metal utensil.

Lucy was wheezing, tears streaming down her cheeks while she fanned her face.

The tub of butter floated slowly over to the toast, and in an oddly deep voice said, "Baby, I'm gon' butta yo bread…"

The toast swooned.

When Bickslow saw that Lucy's face was an unhealthy shade of red, he called his babies back over to him. The knife settled itself back down on her plate while the bacon and egg floated over, settling themselves on the toast in his hand. He grinned at Lucy, then handed her a napkin and took a bite of his food. "You've got juice running down your face, Cosplayer."

Lucy smiled as she wiped her face. She took a deep breath, then her eyes widened. After letting it out, she inhaled deeply through her nose. "I can breathe!" she shouted. "It cleared my nose out!"

Bickslow laughed and shook his head. "Bet it burns though."

"Oh, you have no idea," Lucy giggled. "It feels like it's on fire… But I can  _breathe_!"

Bickslow's mouth opened with a joke on the tip of his tongue, then he promptly closed it when there was a knock at the door. With a frown, he stood up and made his way over to it, peering through the peephole to see who had come calling. He blinked in surprise, but smiled nonetheless while opening it wide. "Come on in, guys. She's in the dining room having breakfast."

Wendy smiled up at Bickslow, and Gajeel nodded as they walked past him. The third member of the little group entered much more cautiously, his head hanging low. "How is she?" Freed whispered.

"Go see for yourself," Bickslow said encouragingly.

Lucy smiled at Wendy and Gajeel as they walked into the dining room, then her happy gaze turned back to the entrance only to fall flat when she saw Freed standing there. He looked like he hadn't been sleeping well. Or at all. She wanted to go to him and make sure he wasn't having nightmares again. To hold him, and beg for him to forgive her for causing this rift between them. She wanted so badly for him to just close that mile wide distance between them and hold her. If she could have managed it, she would have catapulted herself from her seat just to wrap her arms around him for the first time in what felt like years.

Freed was frozen in place when he saw her. She was far too thin, with dark circles under her eyes. Bickslow had told him that she was only just able to start eating normally due to her illness and morning sickness, but… What if it was more? Was she not sleeping because of what he'd done? Was this the result of his carelessness toward her, how he had ignored her? Was it maybe something to do with the pregnancy, something that they weren't aware of just yet? He ached to hold her, to kiss her and apologize for driving her away. But she had left him. He had no right to be anywhere near her… Not until they worked everything out.

"Lucy," Wendy said softly, "Freed called and asked if I could come check on you and the baby. How have you been feeling?"

It took every bit of willpower to tear her gaze from him, but Lucy managed it. She looked at Wendy and gave her a weak smile. "A little better. The medicine started working, and Bix helped clear my sinuses with some grapefruit juice right before you guys got here."

"Um," Wendy mumbled, her brow furrowing as she looked back at the Seith mage. "I wouldn't really recommend doing that again…" She turned to Lucy again. "Are you able to walk easily now?"

Lucy shook her head sadly. "I tried this morning, and ended up falling down in the hallway."

"Well, c'mon then, Bunny," Gajeel said softly when Wendy nodded. Months of working with the younger Slayer had undeniably softened his crusty ass some, just as it had made Wendy grow the hell up in some aspects. It gave her quite the colorful vocabulary when she was extremely upset - something that had the little white Exceed chewing his ass out for a week. Carla and Lily even occasionally commented that they spent so much time together, that they had begun speaking telepathically… And that it was creeping them right the fuck out. He just knew when and what Wendy needed when it came to the simpler side of her healing people - like helping Lucy out of her chair and leading her down the hallway.

Lucy blinked up at Gajeel as he tenderly held her hand, then wrapped his arm around her waist so she could lean on him. This was a side of the Iron Slayer she didn't think she would ever see in a million years, but she found that it really suited him. "I've been staying in Laxus' room," she said while leaning heavily against Gajeel's side. "If you need me to lay down, that'd probably be the best place."

Wendy smiled softly and let Gajeel lead Lucy toward Laxus' room, then turned to look at Freed and Bickslow. "I'll do what I can, Freed."

Freed nodded, then went to stand in front of the dining room table in silence. When Wendy and Gajeel had gotten off of the train, Freed had quickly ushered them through town toward Laxus' home. Pantherlily and Carla had taken their bags home once he started explaining why Lucy wasn't living at home any longer, and he was extremely grateful that the Exceeds had gone before they found out just how badly he had screwed things up with her. They didn't know she was pregnant, or that he had ignored her in favor of a weeklong introspection that didn't give him a single answer. They didn't know the engagement had been called off. Just that Lucy was at Laxus' house.

Luckily, Gajeel had given him a little more insight into Laxus' behavior where the woman he loved was concerned. Aside from some alarmingly colorful language coming from the pierced Slayer, he had explained that when a dragon's kin falls ill, they instinctively care for that member of their family while the mate is finding a way to get rid of it. Freed's distance after the revelation of her pregnancy most likely caused Laxus to lose his mind in his anger. As far as that Dragon inside of the blond was concerned, Freed had abandoned her, and he wasn't worthy of being with her. Gajeel had even said that he was surprised Freed was still alive.

"Freed," Bickslow whispered, "She's gonna be alright…"

He nodded slowly. "And, had I talked to her sooner… This could have been avoided, Bickslow."

"Sure," Bickslow sighed. "You could have avoided all of this shit, but c'mon man… At least you got your head on straight now. You two can't fix anything if you won't even talk to each other, so you being here is a good first step to get back together."

Freed smiled minutely. "I hope we can," he replied. He tensed when the front door opened and closed, then there was a long moment of silence before the slight rustling of paper bags drew closer. He slowly turned around to see Laxus walking calmly toward the kitchen, and waited with bated breath to see just what would happen. It was highly likely that Laxus would decide to just kill him right then and there for disregarding his threat about coming near Lucy, but he refused to back down from what horrors awaited him where his friend was concerned. Needless to say, he was shocked when the towering Slayer passed right by himself and Bickslow without even a glance in their direction.

The only thing that stayed Laxus' hand when he smelled Freed in his house was the fact that Wendy and Gajeel were also there. It could mean that Freed had finally decided to make himself useful and brought them over so Lucy could get checked out, but…  _'Does that really counteract all the pain he caused her?'_

Laxus had hoped that putting away the groceries would help him relax long enough to see just what the fuck Freed was thinking in coming to his home. He knew. The asshole  _knew_  he wasn't welcome, that Laxus was going to rip his ass to pieces for being near Lucy and the baby, but he still fucking showed up. And not even right after his life had been threatened. That would have probably garnered some respect from the Lightning Slayer, and proved that Freed was going to start being the man his little sister needed. Even a couple days afterwards, just so he could get over the shock of that threat. But that didn't happen. Freed waited a whole goddamn week to make an appearance. Just what the hell had he been doing for seven whole fucking days that he couldn't even  _try_  to contact her?

Laxus had watched Lucy staring longingly at the lacrima every single day, just waiting for Freed to call her. He told her the morning after Freed called that the Rune mage had tried getting in contact with her, while she was still asleep, and had even told her, verbatim, what had been said.  _'I told her if Freed really wanted to work shit out, he wouldn't let me stop him… That's why she waited...'_  Lucy was ten kinds of pissed when Laxus came clean about the call, but she also understood that her place as his kin made him extraordinarily protective of her, especially while she was sick.

Sure, he had interfered that night by threatening the guy, but Freed fucking deserved to feel some semblance of the pain he'd brought Lucy. The man that had so easily disregarded his little sister's feelings when he found out she was pregnant was standing in  _his_  home, the place he had built with his own goddamn hands. Freed didn't deserve to be anywhere near Lucy. He didn't deserve a whole lot of fucking anything, and Laxus was left wondering just why the fuck he hadn't shocked the guy into oblivion as soon as that familiar scent filled his sinuses.

Once the milk was put away, having been the last thing in the bag, Laxus' nostrils flared angrily as he stared at the closed refrigerator door. Lucy was torn on whether or not she wanted to forgive Freed. She waited for him to call her, but the day she had come to live with Laxus… She taped her goddamn engagement ring to that picture frame. He'd thought, at the time, that it meant she was done with the fucking prick, but she had even admitted to him that she wasn't in any place to make a concrete decision. Still, he couldn't be mad at her over this. Lucy was just trying to make the best of a shit hand that she'd been dealt.

Freed, on the other hand, was standing in the fucking dining room as though he owned the goddamn place.  _'He'd better not think that bringing Wendy here will change shit,'_  Laxus thought as he turned to leave the kitchen.  _'Lucy isn't gonna go crawling back to his ass so fucking easily. Not if I have anything to say about it.'_

Lucy took a shaky breath as Gajeel led her slowly back toward the living room. He and Wendy had said that Laxus' room quite literally smelled like a sick person was living in it from how little she had ventured away from the bed. Which had Wendy suggesting some fresh air for a little while, then some time spent relaxing on the couch. She couldn't understand how Laxus was able to stomach the smell if the other two Slayers' reactions were anything to go by. Regardless of that, she really needed to just lay the hell down and cry her damn eyes out for a bit. She was already exhausted before they had arrived, even though she'd woken up only an hour beforehand, but Wendy's checkup drained the last bit of mental energy the Celestial mage had.  _'Freed's here though. Why is he here?'_ She couldn't even begin to deal with him right then, but… Part of her didn't want to turn him away.

Gajeel's ruby eyes widened when they reached the end of the hallway, and he stopped dead in his tracks, causing Lucy and Wendy to come to a halt next to and behind him, respectively. It was obvious that Laxus didn't realize anyone else was there as he took long, agitated strides out of the kitchen on a direct path toward Freed. The Rune mage didn't even have time to react to the vicious snarl that ripped through the silent house, nor did Bickslow, even though the Seith mage could at least see that Laxus had lost his goddamn mind.

He had warned Freed of this exact fucking thing when the guy told him and Wendy about what happened with Lucy. Still, Gajeel found himself wincing when Laxus' large, lightning-covered hand tangled in the hair on the back of Freed's head, then slammed it down onto the dining room table. There was a loud crack as the wood split in half, and it was only compounded by the shattering of plates as the rest of the breakfast dishes went crashing to the floor.

Laxus had no clue that anyone was watching him, or that there was a look of pure horror on Lucy's face as he bent down and wound Freed's ponytail around his hand. "Who the fuck said you could be here?" he growled as he lifted the bleeding mage from the floor by his hair. "Time to teach your ass a fucking lesson, Freed."

The other four mages present watched in shock as Laxus spun on his heel and stalked out the front door, dragging Freed behind him on the ground as though he was simply some childhood blanket. Or already dead. They stayed there in stunned silence until Laxus' shout echoed through the clearing outside of his home.

"I'm gonna cut your balls off and make it so the only way for you to get an erection is with a penis pump, you fucking prick!"

"Shit," Gajeel whispered. "Squirt, stay with Bunny Girl." He quickly adjusted Lucy so she was leaning against Wendy, then made a mad dash through the house just behind Bickslow to the open front door. The sight of Freed's limp body on the ground had his feet pounding down the front steps of the porch as quickly as possible.

"Laxus!" Bickslow shouted. "You're gonna kill him!"

"Good!" Laxus bellowed, landing another solid punch to Freed's gut once he'd righted himself again. "It's what he gets!"

"Sparky, calm the fuck down!" Gajeel growled. Sure, he understood where Laxus was coming from. If this shit had happened with Wendy, he'd be doing the exact same thing to whoever hurt the little Slayer. Still, Gajeel had been in that room with Lucy and Wendy. He heard what she'd been told. Once Laxus calmed down, once he knew just what news Wendy had given the blonde, he'd feel like complete shit for this.

"What, Freed?" Laxus sneered, holding the Rune mage by the throat and squeezing, watching those deep green eyes widening as his airway was constricted. "Still don't have a fucking thing to say, huh? Where the fuck were you, asshole? Where were you when she needed you?"

Bickslow's totems shot out a large beam of green light, hitting the Lightning Slayer in the ribs and breaking his grip on Freed. Freed dropped to his knees on the ground, holding his throat and coughing, while Bickslow rushed forward to pull Laxus away from him. It didn't matter to him though. Freed had agreed - in his own mind, at least - that he would withstand whatever Laxus felt was necessary. For what he'd done to Lucy, for how much pain he caused the woman he loved.

"Oh god," Lucy whispered in horror as she leaned heavily against the porch railing outside of Laxus' home. Gajeel grunted and flew in one direction, lightning arcing across his body and dropping him to the ground. Bickslow was tossed away and crashed through the railing on the other side of the porch, leaving only Freed and Laxus in the yard.

Every time he was knocked down, no matter how hard the hit was, Freed stood back up. His clothes were singed and torn, his face was bloody, as were his arms and chest. He wasn't drawing his sword, or dodging, or trying to write any runes to fight back. He would simply take the hit dead on, then stand up and take another. And another. Each electrified hit to the Rune mage made Lucy's heart ache. It was like seeing him being whipped by Ansa all over again. Except now he was able to fight back, and he wouldn't. "L-Laxus, stop!" she yelled.

"Fuck off, sis!" Laxus snarled. "He's getting what I should've given him two goddamn weeks ago." A kick to the stomach, then an uppercut that threw Freed back several feet. "It's what he gets for being a goddamn asshole! For ignoring you!"

Freed spit out a mouthful of blood, then pulled himself up on trembling legs. He refused to back down from this. If Laxus was going to kill him, then so be it. He'd hurt the woman he loved, the only person that could make him feel safe and cared for in the entire world, no matter what he was going through. He had been the reason she cried, and this was exactly what he deserved. Laxus was right, and he knew it.

"Coming to my fucking house…" Laxus growled, sending a right hook into Freed's jaw. "... Near my baby sister…" A left hook on the other side of his face before he could fall. "... Trying to weasel your way back in…" Another right hook. "... And pretend you didn't fucking hurt her…" Left jab. "You're not good enough for her!"

Freed's breath died in his throat when he was pushed to the side by a pair of familiar, slender hands. The only hands that had ever touched his bare flesh since he'd been rescued. He fell to the ground, his legs finally having given out, but he didn't miss what happened. What Lucy did for him. He could see it all in slow motion. Laxus' fist flying forward with enough force to send someone hurtling through the air. The moment the Slayer realized that he couldn't stop himself in time. Lucy curling around the large fist that drove into her stomach. "No," he whispered in horror. "Oh god… No…"

He could hear her grunt in pain, then saw a small bit of blood being coughed onto the muscular arm she was holding onto. Freed felt his heart freezing when Lucy crumpled to the ground, and he was rooted to the spot. Stuck watching as Laxus stared at his extended fist in horror.

When Lucy started retching, Laxus' gaze shifted to her. It felt like a lifetime of watching her arms wrap around her stomach. Where the baby was. Where he'd hit her. He could smell her blood on him, and the dragon that drove his instincts to protect her roared in anguish. All he could smell was her blood, the scent thicker and more potent than when she'd been having nosebleeds from working too hard to get Freed back home. Every breath was filled with it, each shallow inhale that he was able to manage tinged with the coppery, nostril-burning, bile-in-the-back-of-his-throat smell.

"Are you fucking  _kidding_ me?!" Wendy screeched angrily. She might not understand kin as well as Gajeel and the others, but she'd figured out a good portion of it. Especially since she'd accepted the Iron Slayer as her own kin, just as he'd accepted her. She knew that Laxus had gone off the deep end with what he was doing to Freed, and that she should have tried to stop it along with Bickslow and Gajeel, but Lucy was her patient. She needed to take care of the blonde. Except, Wendy hadn't expected Lucy to knock her to the ground and rush out in between Freed and Laxus like that.

Laxus whimpered when he heard Lucy wheezing. There was a small bit of her blood speckled on her lips, but his gaze kept falling to where her arms were. The baby.  _'Oh fuck, I hurt the baby… No… No, this can't be happening!'_  He dropped to his knees beside her after an eternity of just staring, then brushed his fingers over her cheek. "Sis?" he whimpered, his voice trembling. "L-Lucy… Fuck, are you alright?"

Lucy winced and tightened her grip around herself, fighting to pull in each breath. She'd forgotten just how hard Laxus could hit. She'd never really experienced it herself, but now she knew… When he was pissed, stay the hell away from his fists.

"Shit," Bickslow groaned, shaking his head as he slowly sat up on the porch. His vision was swimming, and it took him a moment to look around and realize that something was wrong. Very wrong. Gajeel was frozen in place where he was sitting on the grass, as was Freed. Wendy was growling up a storm, and cursing under her breath - something that he normally found humorous, but couldn't right then. Everyone was looking at Laxus. Where he was kneeling in the grass. Next to… "Cosplayer?! What the fuck happened?!"

"Sis," Laxus whispered urgently, dropping a hand to her stomach before lifting her into his arms. "I-I'm sorry, Lucy. We'll get you two to Wendy. She'll make sure you're both okay…"

Lucy tried waving Laxus off as he stood up and rushed back to the house, and each jolt of his thundering steps had her stomach rolling. Just before they reached the porch, Lucy scrambled from Laxus' large arms and dropped unceremoniously to the ground. Then promptly vomited the delicious breakfast she'd been able to stomach all over the lawn.

"Fuck!" Laxus whispered, his stormy eyes wide and filled with fear. He knew what was happening before anyone else. He'd been with Lucy nonstop lately, for several months if he really thought about it. He reached down and scooped her up in his arms again when she lost consciousness, before she could land in her own puke or drown in it. It was something he'd grown accustomed to, seeing the signs of her passing out from exhaustion or something else. He knew what they needed to do, and that he needed to make sure Lucy and the baby were alright. "I'm sorry, baby sis… Fuck, I'm so sorry…"

"Well, bring her inside," Wendy snapped, turning on her heel and storming back into the house with Laxus just behind her. "Crazy fucking blondes..."

Gajeel jumped to his feet and rushed after the other two Slayers, with Bickslow hot on his heels and Freed stumbling in just behind them.

Laxus growled as he set Lucy down on the couch. "You're not welcome in my fucking house, Justine. Get the hell out of here. You've done enough damage."

Bickslow's totems were carefully set down on the mantle above Laxus' fireplace, then the Seith mage turned back to the door to see Freed had leaned against it. He could see how much the Rune mage longed to be by Lucy's side. How devastated he was that Laxus wouldn't let him near her. How hard he was trying to keep his composure. The damage he'd taken from their friend. Slowly, Bickslow shook his head and led Freed out onto the porch, closing the door behind him. He sat the trembling mage down on the steps, taking a seat next to him. "Freed…"

"I… I just want to make it better," Freed whispered with a quivering voice. "I-I just… W-Wanted to make sure she was okay…"

"I know, man," Bickslow sighed. How the hell had everything gone so wrong? Freed finally got his act together, finally realized that he and Lucy needed to talk things out. Hell, he'd even made sure Wendy came by to check on her. He was trying, he really was. And the way Lucy had looked at him, how she'd frozen in place and looked like she just wanted to be in Freed's arms again… Bickslow knew that she still had feelings for him, and that all they needed to do was talk it all out. Then they could work on getting back together.

Freed hissed in pain when he felt the injuries he'd sustained straining while he fought to suppress his anguish at being kept from the woman he loved. From their child. He was terrified. Terrified of losing Lucy for good. Of losing the child that they'd created, one that he'd ignored her over. All because he was too scared, too confused, too  _stupid_  to see that it should have been a blessing. He should have been happy, supportive. He should have stayed by Lucy's side and realized that she was as scared as he was.

Bickslow's brows drew together when he looked at Freed again. "Look, I'll go try to calm him down some, okay?" He knew Freed wanted to be inside with Lucy, to just fucking hold her hand. Something. Anything. "As soon as it's okay for you to come in, I'll come get you. Just… Just stay right here, alright?"

Freed nodded and listened as Bickslow walked back into the house. It wasn't like he had anywhere to go, really. He wanted to be where Lucy was. Nowhere else. He just wanted to be with her.

Bickslow's eyes went wide when he closed the front door and walked back into the living room to see Wendy glaring at Laxus with Gajeel towering just behind her, her hands on her hips, and Laxus himself rubbing the back of his head.

"Do you have  _any_  idea just how badly she could have been hurt?" Wendy hissed. "You're so lucky, it's not even funny."

"Shit, Wendy! I get it!" Laxus growled when she smacked him in the head again. "Stop fucking hitting me!"

"Stop being a…" Wendy let out a sigh of irritation. She just couldn't find the right insult, and it was aggravating her even more. "A… Well… Urgh!"

"A defective static dildo," Gajeel supplied off-handedly.

"Yes!" Wendy nearly shouted. "Stop being a goddamn defective static fucking  _dildo_!"

Bickslow and Laxus gaped at the smaller Slayer while Gajeel grinned proudly behind her. "Gihi, that's my Squirt," he chuckled, pulling Wendy back when she went to smack Laxus again.

Bickslow jolted and stared at Gajeel in disgust. "Dude, that's fucking gross… Don't compare Wendy to your jizz…" He quickly clamped his lips shut when both Gajeel and Wendy snarled at him. Those two finding kin in each other was absolutely terrifying.

Laxus sighed and rested his head on Lucy's guild mark. "I didn't mean to hurt her, Wendy. I was just so fucking pissed at Freed and…"

Wendy shook her head, then nodded to Gajeel. "Tell them," she whispered. "I'll go check on Freed."

Gajeel pulled Wendy into his arms for a moment, chuckling again when she nuzzled his stomach. "You got it, Squirt."

Laxus frowned and narrowed his eyes at the two. They were acting like… His eyes widened when realization hit. He hadn't spent much time around the guild lately, and hadn't really noticed just how close Wendy and Gajeel had gotten since they'd been ordered to work together while everyone thought that Freed's father was going to target the guild. But they stayed together, they kept working as a team even after Makarov had lifted the order of forced teams for mages. Gajeel and Wendy were acting just like himself and Lucy. Just like kin. "Wendy," he said softly. When she turned to look at him, the small glimmer of the innocent girl she'd been only months before shining through again, he continued. "Whatever's going on… Keep his ass in the dark. I wanna talk to her about this shit first."

Wendy scowled again. "He deserves to know."

Gajeel rolled his eyes. This was turning into some grade-A bullshit, but if that's what was needed to keep Laxus from storming out and killing the Rune mage, then so be it. "Keep it quiet for now, Squirt. Bunny should get to talk to Spark Plug first. Then  _she_  can decide what to do."

Wendy looked worriedly up at Gajeel, then noticed the tension in his jaw. He didn't like it either, but there was something she was missing. Something that he'd be explaining to her later, she was sure. Maybe because Laxus and Lucy were kin, that changed how things needed to be handled. Freed needed to know, he deserved to know the truth. "I won't wait long," she said, turning to Laxus again. "When she wakes up."

Laxus nodded. "When she wakes up, I'll talk to her."

Wendy nuzzled Gajeel again, sighing when he roughly patted her head. Slowly, she pulled away from the pierced mage's oddly comforting embrace, then made her way outside to tend to Freed's wounds.

* * *

It was a few hours later that Lucy finally woke up, and Laxus had been staring at her in shock the entire time. They'd all been wrong. He couldn't believe it, but they'd been wrong, and everything had crashed and burned so destructively over a mistake. Once Lucy was awake again, Laxus moved to the couch to make sure she was comfortable, pulling the blonde into his arms and letting her head rest against his chest. Her honey eyes slowly opened, and he instantly whispered, "I'm sorry, little sis."

Lucy sighed and blinked slowly. "It's okay," she whispered. A glass of water floated through the air, and Lucy looked over to see Bickslow sitting in an armchair with a soft smile on his face. "Thanks, Bix." She paused, letting out a small smile as she took the glass in her hands. "And Bix's babies."

Soft giggles filled the air from the five little souls as Lucy started drinking the water.

"Blondie," Laxus whispered. "Gajeel told us what Wendy found out."

Lucy tensed, then set the mostly empty glass of water down on the table, taking extra care to swallow the mouthful she had. "He did?"

"Yeah, Bunny," Gajeel said from another armchair, his fingers lightly running through Wendy's hair where she was curled up and sleeping in his lap. "Squirt said they should know."

"Wh-Where's Freed?" she whispered. "Does he know?"

Laxus fought to suppress a growl at the name of that asshole passing her lips. And how hopeful she sounded. "No," he said carefully. "I told them I wanted to talk to you first. He's outside."

Lucy nodded.

"So, what do you wanna do?" Laxus whispered.

Lucy shrugged. "I… I don't know how to tell him. I need to though. I just…"

"Do you want me or Bix to do it?" Laxus asked gently.

Lucy scowled up at him. "Not  _you_. You tried to kill him earlier."

Laxus' face hardened. "He deserves it for what he put you through, sis."

"Yeah?" Lucy asked bitterly. "Well, it's not like there was anything to worry about anyway, right? I'm not actually pregnant. It was just a false positive." That was why she'd been so shocked earlier. As it turns out, she had mentally convinced herself that she was going to get pregnant, and her body had decided to go along for the ride. Her illness was just a really bad case of the flu, mixed with stress. It lowered her immune system, and made her more susceptible to bacteria affecting her. She was just really sick, nothing more.

"That's not the point though," Laxus said earnestly. "Pregnant or not, false fucking positive or not, he ditched you. He left you alone, and  _I'm_  the one that had to take care of you. You don't do shit like that when you fucking love someone."

"So, you're saying he doesn't love me?" Lucy whispered.

"No! Well… I don't know… Just…" Laxus sighed and dropped his head back against the back of the couch. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be so damn willing to forgive him. I know that's what you wanna do, sis. It's who you are. You can't just let his ass off the hook so easily."

"I'm not," Lucy said slowly. "But I do need to talk to him… If he's even willing to talk to me…"

"He is," Bickslow said before Laxus could get a word out. The glare he got from the blond Slayer normally would have been paired with a nice shock, but… Wendy was asleep, and no one wanted to wake her up when she'd exhausted herself trying to take care of Lucy and Freed.

Laxus rolled his eyes when Lucy turned to look up at him. "Bix talked to him this morning," he said. "Made him realize you guys needed to talk shit out. It's why he came here in the first place."

"And because he called Squirt to see when we'd be back from our mission," Gajeel interjected. "Seemed pretty happy when he found out we were on the train back."

"He's worried about you, Cosplayer," Bickslow added.

" _But_ ," Laxus said with a growl, sending a glare at the other males in the room, "You really shouldn't be dealing with more stress right now. Seriously, just tell me to send his ass home and you can deal with it when you're feeling better." She didn't need to pile more shit on herself when she'd just gotten news like that. Laxus just wanted to take care of her, to keep her safe, and Freed had proven that he was incapable of doing that when he'd abandoned her.

"We should have talked from the beginning, Laxus," Lucy said softly. "It's my fault this happened. I was the one that kept it from him, and I'm not going to keep doing that."

"Well, he's not coming in here," Laxus said, his tone showing no room for argument. "That bastard isn't welcome in my house."

"Fine." Lucy pushed herself up from the couch, smacking Laxus' hands away when he tried to stop her. "If he can't come to me, then I'll go to him. This is happening now, whether you like it or not." Lucy hadn't been able to chase him down and talk things out before, because she'd been too ill to move most of the time. Now, Freed was right outside, and she was going to make sure they did this. No matter what.

Bickslow jumped up from his seat and steadied Lucy when she started wobbling slightly. He gave her a small smile as he said, "I'll help you, Cosplayer." Laxus might have been against it, but even Bickslow could tell that he wasn't seeing clearly where Freed was concerned. He was stuck on keeping Lucy safe, on taking care of her and protecting her. They'd waited for him to talk to Lucy, forced Freed to wait outside until Laxus said it was okay to come in - which hadn't happened - and now they'd done their talking, and Lucy wanted to do right by the Rune mage. He did deserve to know she wasn't pregnant, and the two needed to get their shit handled. That couldn't happen unless they were actually able to talk to each other.

Freed tensed when the front door opened. He hadn't moved an inch since Bickslow parked him right on the steps of Laxus' porch. Not even when Wendy came out to heal him. His blood had dried hours ago, and although it was terribly itchy, he refused to leave. He and Lucy had spent enough time apart, not talking things out, and he wasn't going to disappear. Even to clean himself up. He heard two sets of footsteps, and decided that, based on the difference between them, Gajeel and Wendy were finally taking their leave.

"I'll give you guys some privacy," Bickslow whispered in Lucy's ear. "Make sure Laxus stays inside, that kinda thing."

"Thanks, Bix." Lucy gave him a weak smile, then hugged the Seith mage before pulling away and sitting down next to Freed for the first time in two weeks. She couldn't look at him just yet. Not at his bloodied face and body, his torn clothes, his trembling hands. She could feel him staring at her, but Lucy kept her gaze trained on her hands in her lap.

She was there. Lucy. She was really there, sitting next to him again. He'd ached to be with her for so long, spent the past week alone and in such torment that he hadn't been able to move. The woman that held his heart, and always would. The woman that was carrying their child. Lucy was everything he needed in this world, she was the one that brought light to his life, and made everything better. He just didn't know what to say to her, or how to start apologizing for abandoning her when she needed him the most. All he could do was stare. All Freed was able to do was take in how much weight she'd lost, how tired she looked, how sick she looked. Her hair and eyes were dull, her skin pale. She was a wisp of the radiant angel that had saved him nearly a year before. He'd broken her wings, brought her to this state, and now… Now he needed to fix it. If only he could figure out what to say.

"... How have you been?" Lucy asked timidly.

Freed let out a shaky breath. Just hearing her voice again had him longing to hold her, to tuck her head into his chest and keep her with him forever. It had been so long since he'd heard the light bells of her laughter. The soft lilting melody that was her voice while she spoke. "Horrid," he whispered. "I… I miss you."

Lucy fisted her hands in her lap. "You wouldn't have if… If things had been different."

He nodded slowly. "I know."

"Why, Freed?" she asked, her voice ghosting through the air. "Why did we mess up so badly?"

"I… I wish I had an answer for you," Freed replied. He couldn't understand why Lucy had said 'we' as though she was at fault. Then again, she had been the one that suspected she was pregnant, and had pulled away from him. He'd been so scared that something was wrong, and then confused when she refused to talk to him about it. And then he'd found out that she was pregnant, with that stick sitting on the counter of their bathroom. "Was that how you planned on telling me? Letting me find it that way?"

Lucy shook her head. "No. I wanted to know for sure before telling you. I was planning on talking to you that day, after I saw the test… But… You saw it before I did. Before I could even get into the bathroom and look… And then, when you woke up… You just… Left."

"I didn't know what to do," Freed whispered. "I needed time to think."

"And you didn't hear me crying?" Lucy asked. "Calling for you?" She turned to look at him then, right into his eyes. Those eyes she had been dreaming of every night. The vibrant green, the small flecks of purple dotting the irises. His deep emerald hair with pale blond highlights cascading down over his left eye, as always, and smeared with his own blood in sections. "I couldn't chase after you, Freed. I could hardly stand long enough to get to the bathroom most times. You left me there."

"But I knew Laxus would take care of you," he sighed, shaking his head. "I knew that you would be okay, because Laxus was there." It was stupid to think that things would be alright if he just took time to himself, and let Laxus care for Lucy. Sure, the blond Slayer had gone above and beyond to tend to her in Freed's absence, but that wasn't what had needed to happen. She had needed  _him_. Her fiance. The man she wanted to marry. Not her brother.

"But I wanted  _you_."

"I know…" He sighed and looked out across the yard. "I know, Lucy…"

She stared at him for another moment, then turned to look over the lush green grass with him. "So, you spent time thinking," she whispered. "Did it help?"

"Not in the slightest." He wished it had, but all he'd done was figure out that he wasn't ready. It was something he already knew, and he had no other answers for what he was supposed to do about the pregnancy. Except now… "Is everything… Okay?" he whispered. "With the baby?"

Lucy stayed silent. She wanted to know what he was thinking before, why he would have abandoned her like that. How was she supposed to just tell him that there never was a baby, and that she'd messed everything up between them because she was paranoid and scared out of her mind about the prospect of becoming a mother? She loved him with all her heart, and even though she hadn't wanted to be pregnant, she'd grown accustomed to the idea of it after finding out. It had taken some time, but the past week spent at Laxus' had opened her eyes. Yes, she still wanted Freed with her, and she knew that she always would.

"Is something wrong?" Freed asked after Lucy stayed silent. Dread began filling him, because, in the hours since he'd been thrown in his own pool by Bickslow, he'd started to realize that it didn't matter to him if Lucy was pregnant, or how he felt about becoming a father. He wasn't going to make the same mistakes that his own father had made. He didn't necessarily feel anything close to affection for the little life in her, but it was still a part of him. Something that they had created together, and he knew… One day, he'd love the child. But, the hit Lucy had taken from Laxus, how she'd been retching and those small specks of blood she'd coughed up… "Did… Did something happen?"

"Would it really matter to you?" Lucy whispered sadly.

"What?" he gasped. "Of course it would matter to me. Lucy…"

"Would it though?" she asked bitterly. "You passed out from reading the test. You locked yourself in the study to think, for an entire week… And you didn't even come to bed, or to see how I was doing. I was gone for two days before you even realized it. Laxus told me you called, and he said that he didn't let you get a word in edgewise, and he hung up on you. But you never called me back. You never tried again. Two whole weeks, Freed. Two weeks, I've been desperate to just have you with me, telling me things would be okay."

He turned sharply at the tone in her voice. Never in their time together had Lucy sounded like this. Had he really caused his angel to fall so far? He was just trying to process it all at the time, and it wasn't working. And he had gone to see her at night before she moved into Laxus' room. He did check on her, although it had been when she was asleep. "And you knew well before I did that something was going on," he shot back. "You were withdrawn, Lucy. You suspected it, but you kept it from me. And gave me five days. Only  _five_  days to come to terms with what was happening. And then you left."

"Don't you want kids?" she asked. "Someday, you wanted kids with me, right? To have a family?"

"I never considered it," Freed answered honestly. "But that's not what this is about. 'Someday' doesn't matter, because you're pregnant now. That's where everything went wrong…"

"Wrong?!" Lucy shouted. "What do you mean, it went 'wrong'?!"

He sighed heavily, dropping his head to his hands. "I mean just that. None of this would be happening if… If you weren't… We can't go back and change it, so we have to deal with it now. It's not like I can ask you to get rid of it, because I know you would never-"

The door behind them was thrown open, and Freed and Lucy turned to the sound of a menacing growl and several voices shouting. Laxus was nearly foaming at the mouth, his pointed teeth glinting in the afternoon light. "You son of a bitch!"

"Laxus, get the fuck in here!" Bickslow shouted, sending his babies out onto the porch to form a shield in front of Freed. He didn't have a clue what happened to finally set the Lightning Slayer off, but it was clearly something Freed had said. After all, they'd all heard Lucy shouting. It had even woken up Wendy.

"Fuck no! I'm killing him!" Laxus grunted when two large arms circled around him and dragged him into the house. "Fuck you, Scrap Heap!" he bellowed. "Let me out there! I'll-"

His words were cut off by a solid punch to the face, then a large iron ball was crammed into his mouth, followed by gauze from Wendy's medical pack wrapping around his head to keep it in place. Laxus' hands were bound behind him in iron shackles, along with his legs, and he toppled to the ground with a loud thud. "Fuckin' stay there," Gajeel growled. He walked back to the door and narrowed his eyes at the couple on the porch. "Watch what you say to Bunny. My iron should hold him, but if you go runnin' off at the mouth like that again, and he gets pissed enough, it won't hold for long."

The door slammed closed, and Freed let out another long sigh. This just wasn't working. It was a mistake for him to think they could work things out just by talking through it. Laxus was so against Lucy being with him now, that she most likely was just humoring him by that point. She was getting everything off of her chest, and then she would tell him to leave her alone for good.

Lucy fought against the catch in her throat. "That's why I didn't tell you," she said, her voice trembling as she forced herself to keep her tears at bay. She wasn't going to let him see her cry. Not now. "I kept it from you, even though it was eating me up inside, because I was afraid, Freed. I was so scared of how you'd react when you found out. And I thought you'd hate me, because it's my fault this happened in the first place. I was the one that said we didn't need condoms, because I was on the pill. And  _I_  was the one that stopped taking my birth control when you were taken back to your father's, because I was more focused on trying to get you back…"

Freed's eyes went wide as he looked at her again. He could see the tears shining in her eyes, and every word she spoke cut through him. Right to the bone.

"And you know what?" Lucy continued. "You proved me right. You saw that test and ignored me, just like my dad used to do. All I wanted was for you to be there, to tell me that you  _didn't_  hate me. That you weren't mad at me, and we'd get through it together. But, you didn't. You abandoned me, Freed. And you left me deal with what happened. Things didn't go  _wrong_  when I took that test. They were wrong well before it. And I know I'm the one to blame for this starting, but I'm not alone. You did just as much, you caused just as much damage as I did. A-And… And you…"

Freed watched as Lucy turned away from him and wrapped her arms around herself. He knew her well enough to be able to tell when she was about to cry, even without seeing the tears in her eyes. She was seconds away from it, and he was the one to blame. He'd been the reason for her tears this whole time. "Why would you think I'd hate you?" he asked softly.

"Because I made you do it," she answered. "You kept telling me we shouldn't, but I convinced you otherwise… It's my fault… I-It's all my fault. And you don't even want kids, do you? Just tell me… Tell me the truth."

"No," Freed said with a sigh. "I don't think my having children would be a wise choice." He really didn't. Too much had happened to him in the past year. His scars, while he accepted the physical manifestations of them from his torture as a point of pride, were too deep. He still had nightmares, panic attacks, moments of paranoia. They'd all become more and more frequent as time went on, with Lucy's health declining and not a single clue as to how they could help her. And after he'd locked himself in the study, it had only gotten worse. Because, instead of just thinking about his torture, he pictured himself as a father. How would he try to explain to his child why he was covered in scars? Or why he couldn't go to public places too often? What would the child think of having a father that woke up screaming, his face covered in tears? That wasn't the type of father he wanted to be, but he never wanted to have children to begin with.

"Why?"

"You can't have a conversation with a baby," he said lamely. "I don't know the first thing about them. And… Who would want someone like me as their father?" He dropped his head to his hands again and sighed heavily. "I'm broken, Lucy. Irrevocably damaged. I can hardly care for myself sometimes. How am I supposed to care for another? Someone small and innocent… I'd be no better than my own father…"

"You can't really think that, Freed…"

He looked at her then. "I do. I don't just think it. I know it to be true. What I did, leaving you like that… That is proof enough. You needed me, and yet… I chose myself over you, and over our child." He blinked away his own tears, then hesitantly reached for her hand. Just the barest bit of contact, and his heart soared into the heavens… Only to plummet when she pulled away from him.

The concept of being a father terrified him, but being a father to Lucy's child. Being with a woman as amazing as her, as supportive and kind. He couldn't ask for a bigger blessing. He didn't think they were ready for something like this. He wasn't. Not emotionally. His wounds from his torture were still too raw. They were too young. It just wasn't something he could cope with. But still… This was Lucy. He loved her, and he wanted to be with her. Even if it meant that he would have to learn how to care for a child, he would do it. For her, he would do anything.

"I might not be ready for a child," he said finally, "And the idea of being a father, and having to care for another life when I can hardly do it for myself sometimes, is absolutely terrifying. But... I love you, Lucy. I don't think I'll be a good father, not with what's happened in the past year... But, I'm willing to try. I won't abandon you just because of this, and I won't let our child feel as though I don't love the two of you. I would like to be in your life... In whatever capacity you'll allow me to be there..."

Lucy couldn't fight it any longer. There was just no way to keep it under lock and key. Her tears careened down her cheeks, the floodgates opening and letting the torrential wave of her emotions take over. That was what she'd wanted him to say all along. If Freed had only told her that in the beginning, then she never would have left. "W-Would you," she stuttered through her mostly silent sobs. "Would y-you still want to marry me? Even though…"

"Yes." There was no doubt in his mind about wanting to marry her. He wanted to be with Lucy, no matter what.

"I'm not," Lucy whispered. When Freed stayed silent, she sighed. "I'm not pregnant, Freed… Wendy checked and… It was a f-false positive."

"But," Freed said, his brow furrowing, "You've been ill this whole time."

She nodded. "Stress," she answered. "It was all mental. Well, I-I got the flu, and then made it worse by worrying so much. I made it worse without realizing I was doing anything…"

He calmly reached over with his handkerchief and gently wiped away her tears, fighting with everything he was worth to suppress his urge to kiss her senseless. He couldn't let Lucy see how relieved and happy he was about her not being pregnant. What he'd thought earlier, about learning to care for a child, was true. He would have done that. Although, his happiness at the prospect of Lucy coming back into his life was diminished. He'd grown accustomed to the idea of her being pregnant, of the two of them working together to raise a child. Their child. He didn't love the little imagined fetus, not in the slightest, but he loved Lucy. And he knew that one day he would have loved their offspring. Freed had wanted to be there in any way that Lucy would allow, because his own father had never really been there for him and his brothers.

Yes, Frances was around occasionally, and he assured that the three Justine heirs were raised properly according to high society's standards, but they were never accepted. Not truly accepted. Especially not Freed. Frances was never there for Freed the way he should have been. The way that he'd seen other parents tending to their own children, or how Makarov was with Laxus. Or Bisca and Alzack with Asuka.

He'd been so worried that he would have made just as horrible father as his own had been, that Freed failed to see he was already doing it. He'd ignored the woman he wanted to make his wife, ignored their child - even though there really wasn't one in the first place, it was the principle of the thing - before it was even 'born'. He'd acted just like Frances had. His mother had gone through three pregnancies with only the staff at her side. Frances had already been distancing himself by that point in their marriage. Freed didn't want to be like that.

Yes, he was happy that she wasn't really pregnant when it was such a terrifying thing for him, but he was also confused. He was confused, because he was oddly disappointed. It had started to grow on him, and as soon as he'd told Lucy as much, that he would be there for her… It was all taken away. After only a brief moment of silence, he pulled the handkerchief away and looked across Laxus' yard again. "I see…"

"I guess you're happy about this, right?"

"... In a sense, yes."

Lucy tilted her head slightly in confusion. She could see the conflicted expression on his face. It was one she'd seen only a handful of times, when he was quite literally warring with himself in his head.

"I'm not sure how to feel about everything," he said slowly. "I'm happy that you're not pregnant, but... Maybe..." Freed shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. He needed to be honest with Lucy. It was what they had built their relationship on. Total honesty. She had kept something from him, and it still hurt that she'd done it, but he understood now. And, even though it had happened, and she gave him back the ring, he hoped that they would be able to work through everything, so he could have the woman he loved back in his life.

Lucy let out a small smile at that. "Maybe," she whispered hopefully, "You like the idea of it a little bit?"

"... Maybe. I'm not sure."

Lucy sighed and hesitantly reached out to hold his hand. When Freed jolted in surprise and turned to look at her with wide eyes, she gave him a slightly wider smile. Then lifted his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. "I should have told you sooner, Freed," she said. "I'm sorry."

His heart was nearly bursting from his chest as he pulled her just a little closer to remove the space from between them. When Lucy's head rested on his shoulder, just like it used to, he smiled for the first time since she'd gotten sick. "You're forgiven, Lucy," he replied. "Would you forgive me for, as Laxus put it, 'being a goddamn asshole'?" The bright peal of laughter that spilled from the blonde made him think that his heart really was going to explode. It was a sound he'd longed to hear. The sight of her like this something that he'd only been able to see in his dreams - when they weren't dark and horrifying, leaving him panting and shaking for hours.

"Yes," Lucy laughed loudly. "I think I can manage that. Just… Don't ever say that again. It sounds weird."

Freed chuckled. "It felt strange to say..."

The pair grew silent, just soaking up the warmth they had both longed to feel from the other while looking out into Laxus' yard. There was so much the two of them wanted to say to one another, but neither wanted to break the comfortable silence. Finally, when Freed couldn't take it any longer, he said, "Would you be willing to come home?"

Lucy shook her head, feeling him deflate against her. "Not yet."

"Yet?" he asked.

She nodded. There was another long pause, this one slightly more uncomfortable than the last. She wanted to be home with him. She really did. But too much had happened, and they both needed to build back up to where they had been only a couple months before. To how things had been before Christmas. She turned her head curiously when Freed reached into the pocket of his slacks, and her eyes went wide when something small, metallic, and definitely familiar was laid in one of her hands.

"I don't know if you want this back," Freed said, his hand pulling away to reveal Lucy's engagement ring, "But I brought it with me. Just in case…"

Lucy smiled down at the bright gold band with the little ruby roses and emerald leaves. She'd always found it absolutely breathtaking, each and every time she'd looked at it since Freed had put it on her finger. The day she had left, when Laxus had taken her to his place to move in, Lucy had been torn on whether or not to take the ring with her. But, she had decided that maybe he just needed to see that she wasn't going to stand for the way he'd made her feel. She hadn't wanted to give it back, because it felt like she was giving up on him altogether, and that was something she refused to do. Not if they could work through it.

Instead of putting the ring where she knew it belonged, Lucy gently slid it onto her ring finger on her right hand. It just didn't seem right there, but that was as close as she would get to wearing it right then. Once it was in place, she looked into his eyes and whispered, "Let's build back up to it, Freed. When I'm ready, I'll switch it over. I can tell you that I won't do it until we're living together again."

He nodded sadly at that. It was her choice entirely, and he would wait as long as Lucy wanted, to have her in his life the way she'd once been. To have her home, where she belonged, and as his fiancee. "If that's what you'd like to do."

She hated that defeated look in his eyes, but there was no way she was going to just jump right back into the life they'd had before. She needed time. "One thing at a time, sweetheart," she said, watching as his deep, green eyes softened. "Maybe… When I'm not sick anymore… We could, I don't know… Go on another date?"

"Absolutely," Freed answered with an excited smile. "I was only able to take you on one date before everything happened."

"And," Lucy added, her cheeks heating up slightly. "Wear your jeans again."

"I do believe I can manage that," he chuckled. It had been something he was surprised to find out about Lucy. She apparently loved how he looked in jeans. He wasn't entirely sure just when he'd gotten the few pairs that were housed in his closet, but he knew it had something to do with Bickslow and Evergreen working together to try and make his style a little more relaxed in appearance. Lucy, on the other hand, had told him how much she loved seeing them on him, but she'd also said that she really liked how he dressed normally. And that it didn't matter to her what he was wearing, because she was usually picturing what he looked like in just his birthday suit.

He couldn't help himself. Setting up a future date, Lucy wearing the ring - even though it was on the wrong hand at the moment - holding her close to him, her smile and laugh, and the fact that she was still calling him 'sweetheart'... He hesitantly leaned over to press his lips to hers. Sick or not, he just wanted to kiss her again. Just one more time. When Lucy turned her head away from him, and his lips were instead pressing against her cheek, Freed sighed in resignation.

"Eventually, Freed," she whispered.

Freed kissed Lucy's cheek again, then rested his head on hers. "Yes," he whispered, a small smile spreading over his features when Lucy curled further into his side. "Eventually."

* * *

The door to Laxus' home opened silently, and Freed turned to see Gajeel and Wendy slowly walking out onto the porch. Lucy had said she was still feeling tired, but that she hadn't wanted to leave Freed so soon, so he had simply told her to get some rest. She'd fallen asleep, curled up to him the way she had countless times before while they were in the den.

Gajeel sighed as he looked back into the house, then down at Freed. "Sparky says to bring her in," he whispered. "Me and Squirt are heading out. He's given his word that he's not gonna attack ya. And Bix is gonna keep watch."

Freed nodded. "Thank you," he said gratefully. "Both of you."

"Just don't mess up with her again," Wendy said softly. "You have no idea how hard it was to keep him inside for this long."

"I understand," Freed said with another nod. He watched as Wendy and Gajeel walked away from Laxus' property, disappearing into the woods and down the dirt path, then turned to see Bickslow standing in the front doorway. Slowly, and with all the care in the world he could muster, Freed lifted the blonde into his arms, frowning at just how light she'd gotten.

Bickslow closed the door once Freed was inside, then followed him down the hall to Laxus' bedroom. His eyebrows raised in surprise when Freed kept going past the master bedroom, and instead chose to take Lucy into the room that the couple used whenever the team was sleeping at Laxus' house.

Freed carefully settled Lucy beneath the blanket, then lifted her right hand and looked at the ring on her finger. One day, it would be back where it belonged. He would do anything to get back to where they used to be.  _'A date,'_  he thought happily while pressing his lips gently to her guild mark.  _'Once she's better, I can take her on a date again. We'll get back to the way things were…'_  He watched her sigh softly, then forced himself to turn away from her. Instead of Bickslow, he was greeted with the sight of Laxus leaning against the door jamb, glaring at the ground, his arms crossed over his chest. Without a word, Freed walked past the hulking blond.

Once he'd closed the bedroom door, Laxus walked after Freed. "You're just gonna fucking leave without a word, huh?" he asked sourly.

"No," Freed answered. He stopped in the kitchen and wrote a quick note to the slumbering blonde.

_Dearest Lucy, I've gone home because I know that Laxus does not want me here. I respect him too much, even now, to go against his wishes concerning his own home. Please, call me whenever you would like. You know I will always answer for you. I would say that I will call you, but you need to rest as much as possible, and I do not wish to hinder your recovery. I will be waiting to see you again, my angel. A pair of jeans, just as you requested, will be as well. I love you. -Freed._

Note in hand, Freed quietly walked back to the bedroom Lucy was in, and placed it on the nightstand. He looked at her longingly for another moment before sighing and walking back out, silently closing the door behind him. He wanted nothing more than to hold her, to be in that bed with her, but he couldn't. Not until Lucy forgave him completely. It would take time, but he was willing to wait as long as she needed to feel as though she could trust him again.

When Freed was at the front door, Laxus cleared his throat. "Freed."

"Yes, Laxus?" Freed said, his hand sitting heavily on the doorknob.

"Hurt her like this  _ever_  again, and there won't be a damn things that stops me… Not even Lucy."

"Good," Freed whispered sadly. He looked up at Laxus' surprised face, letting the man he'd idolized for years see just how much what he'd done was tearing him up inside. There was no mask of stoicism in place. Not here, not when Laxus needed to know that Freed was truly sorry for what he'd done. "I'm sorry for hurting your kin, Laxus. And I'm sorry for hurting the woman I love. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help while she's recovering. I… I miss her…"

Laxus watched as Freed smiled sadly, giving the hallway that would lead him to the woman he longed to be with one last look. Freed sighed and opened the door silently, then walked outside and off of the property without another word.

Bickslow walked up behind Laxus, who had stayed at the open door, staring out where Freed had disappeared behind the tree line for several long minutes after the Rune mage was gone. "Cut him some slack, okay?" he said softly.

"..."

"Seriously," Bickslow continued, putting on his visor and gathering his babies by his side. "You didn't see him that night, when he realized she was gone. I've never seen him like that…"

"What," Laxus sneered, "Crying and shit? He deserves more than a few damn tears, Bix. Lucy's had more than her fair share of 'em where he's concerned."

"He was devastated, Laxus," Bickslow said sadly. "It was like someone ripped his puppy to pieces right in front of him, made him eat it, then tore out his heart and crushed it in a vice."

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Laxus asked with a disgusted grimace.

Bickslow shrugged. "Fact of the matter is, Freed knows he fucked up and he wants to fix it. Cosplayer fucked up too, so he's not the  _only_  one in the wrong here. Just… Try to remember that he wants to help."

"Yeah, now that there's not a fucking baby…"

"Laxus, he was here all day before he found out there was no baby. You made sure he didn't know," Bickslow said angrily. "He was worried about her, especially when I talked some fucking sense into him this morning, and-"

"And I thought I told you to stay the hell out of it, Bix."

"And  _I_ thought  _you'd_  want your kin to be happy," Bickslow shot back.

"Watch it," Laxus growled, baring his teeth.

Bickslow sighed heavily. "She's miserable without him, Laxus. And she wasn't gonna stop being miserable unless they talked everything out. There was  _no way_  for Lucy to chase his ass down and do it, so he needed to come to her. And since the guy's been pretty much catatonic the past week, the only way for them to get through this was for  _someone_  to man the fuck up and lay it all out there for him."

"That doesn't mean I fucking like it…"

"It's not your job to like it, Laxus. Be her brother, be her kin, but don't try and live her life for her… Lucy's a big girl, and she has to do shit herself sometimes. You might not like her hurting, or being sick, or anything like that… But you can't keep her in a damn bubble to protect her."

Laxus crossed his arms over his chest defiantly, the thought of  _'I can try,'_  wanting to force itself from his lips. All he wanted was to keep her safe and protected, and if that meant that he had to lock her ass up to make sure it happened, then… His fists clenched angrily. That was the kind of shit that Lucy had run away from, when she left home all those years ago. Her father had been trying to do the same thing, keeping her locked in a gilded cage. Maybe not to keep her protected and safe, but it didn't really matter what the reason was. Lucy would end up hating Laxus if he tried to do that, if he tried to take her choices away from her.  _'Goddamnit, he's right…'_  Finally, Laxus nodded shortly. "Fine… But, she's staying here until she's better," he grumbled, nearly pouting.

Bickslow chuckled and patted Laxus' shoulder. "Y'know," he mused with a smirk, "You've been taking care of Cosplayer this whole time, man. You should really go fuck your girlfriend and chill the hell out."

"Fuck you, Bix," Laxus sighed. When he felt long fingers digging into his shoulders, he narrowed his eyes and looked over his shoulder at the Seith mage. "The hell are you doing?"

Bickslow gave him a tongue-lolling grin. "Just helping you relax, baby," he chuckled. "Massage time. Maybe even a happy ending... You know me love you long time!"

"Get the fuck off of me, creeper." Seriously, did the guy have to be so fucking awkward sometimes?

Bickslow laughed and patted Laxus back. He slowly walked around the Slayer, pausing at his side. "C'mon dude, you know Mira's probably desperate for some lightning dick."

Laxus blinked slowly and turned to see some of the most ridiculous shit he'd ever witnessed in his life. Bickslow was apparently torn between twerking and thrusting, his hips undulating in a way that Laxus was sure Vijeeter would be proud of. Of course, there was the lewd grunting that punctuated each movement, all with his tongue sticking out of his mouth. "You're a silly little bitch, you know that?"

Bickslow leaned forward excitedly when he saw the small smirk on Laxus' face. Before the blond could react, Bickslow extended his tongue as far as possible and wiggled it quickly in Laxus' ear - performing the single most disgusting wet willy ever (thereafter referred to as a 'Wet Bixy'). Gargling noises included. He yelped when a quick jolt of electricity shot through him, then cackled as he jumped out of the front door and onto his babies. "Seriously," he called back, hovering in the air over the lawn, "You should go see Mira. She misses you a lot."

Laxus sighed when Bickslow flew off. He already knew that the Seith mage was either going to find Freed, or to the guild to find Cana. He closed the door and made his way back through his house, then glared at the shattered dining room table and the broken dishes. He'd need to handle that shit before Lucy woke up. With a shake of his head, Laxus sat himself down on the couch and pulled out his lacrima, then called the one person that he knew could help him.

"Laxus?"

"Hey, beautiful," he said with tired smile.

Mira giggled softly. "How's everything going?"

He sighed. "Not good. Could you come by my place? And bring Laki for a few minutes. I need her to make something for me."

Mira's head tilted to the side with a sweet smile. "Want me to bring Lucy some soup?"

"How'd you know…" Laxus rolled his eyes. "Fucking Gajeel. I swear, he's a worse gossip than Cana."

Mira giggled again. "I'll see you soon, Laxus. And Laki's already working on a new dining room table for you. Did Freed make it out alive?"

He nodded. "Barely. I'll see you soon. I should probably clean up a little bit."

"I'll see you then, sweetie."

The lacrima cut off and Laxus dropped his head to the back of the couch. He knew that he needed to get the house cleaned up, but he was just so damn tired. All of that anger that he'd been bottling up had finally been unleashed. He'd gotten his chance to smack Freed around for hurting Lucy, and now those two were on their way to making up and getting back together. And now he was going to see Mira for the first time in a while.  _'Maybe a nap isn't such a bad idea,'_  he thought as his eyes drifted closed. Yeah, a nap was a great idea. He could deal with everything when he woke up.

* * *

There was a knock on the door, and Lucy pouted when Laxus shoved her to the side to answer it. "Really?" she sighed.

"Yep." He opened the door and raised an eyebrow at the sight of Freed standing on his doorstep in a dress shirt and a pair of jeans. "Haven't seen you in this shit in a while."

Freed nodded. "Lucy requested it," he said softly.

Laxus chuckled and turned to the blonde. "You asked him to wear jeans?"

Lucy smiled and nodded happily. "Freed's got a cute butt."

He rolled his eyes and stepped to the side, allowing Lucy to take his place in the doorway. It had been two weeks since they found out that Lucy wasn't pregnant, and Laxus had been adamant about her not instantly going on a date with Freed once her fever had broken. He was still upset about how things had happened but, for the sake of Lucy's happiness, he was getting over it. Freed had been by every single day, at her request, and there hadn't been anything Laxus could do about it. She had been waiting for Freed to come around before that revelation, and he knew that she wanted to work to getting back to the way things were. Bickslow had been right though. He couldn't live Lucy's life for her, and he couldn't stop her from making her own decisions - no matter how stupid he thought they were. All he could do was tell her his opinion when she asked, listen when she needed it, and... Just be her brother. Her kin. "I've got my lacrima on me," he said as the two joined hands and got ready to leave. "If you guys need anything, just call me."

"We'll be fine," Lucy laughed. "There's no one coming after Freed now."

Laxus nodded, then narrowed his eyes at the Rune mage. "You're gonna be fine?"

Freed blinked in surprise. "Yes, Laxus."

"Well, still…" He shifted awkwardly and scratched the back of his head. "If you need help, just… It's okay to call."

Lucy smiled and wrapped an arm around Laxus' waist, then kissed his cheek. "We will. Love you, Laxus."

"Love you too, Lucy," Laxus whispered, kissing the top of her head.

"Just dinner and a movie," Lucy whispered back. "I'll see you in a few hours."

Laxus nodded, then watched as Freed led Lucy down the steps of his front porch. As they made their way off of his property together, he sighed and shook his head.

"She'll be fine, Laxus," a soft voice whispered from behind him.

"I hope so," he said, closing his eyes when a pair of pale, slender arms wrapped around him from behind. "I just don't want her to get hurt again."

Mira pulled Laxus back into the house and closed the door, then led him over to the couch. "Well, Lucy's a big girl. She can handle herself."

He nodded, pulling his girlfriend into his lap. She was right. Lucy could handle herself. She had her keys with her, and it wasn't like Freed was going to hurt her physically. It was just dinner and a movie. Just a simple date. Freed hadn't had a panic attack in public in a long time, and Lucy was really excited about going out with him again. Probably going out in general. With a small smile, he nuzzled Mira's cheek. "You're right, babe," he whispered. It was high time he stopped worrying so much about Lucy. She was better, his instincts to care for her had died down, and now he had his girlfriend in his house. All alone. For the first time in far too long. It was time he took Bickslow's advice. He had a few hours. While that wouldn't be nearly enough time to worship every inch of the demon barmaid's body, he'd manage. "I love you."

"I love you too, Laxus," Mira whispered, gasping when she was pinned to the couch.

* * *

It was another two months before Lucy was willing to move back into the house with Freed, and a whole week before she'd finally surprised him that morning by giving him the ring and holding out her left hand for him to put it on her. Everything was going back to normal, slowly but surely. With the exception of sex. Both of them were being cautious - overly cautious, most likely. Lucy had gone back on her birth control as soon as she wasn't sick any longer, and the furthest they'd gotten in the week since she'd been back home was sleeping in the same bed, and kissing. Freed was fine with it. He wasn't going to rush her, just like he hadn't when they started dating. He did, however, make sure there were condoms in the nightstand at home. Because, whenever she was ready to take that step again, they wouldn't be making the same mistake of depending on only her birth control - regardless of whether or not she'd been taking it when they had the pregnancy scare, they weren't going to chance anything.

Freed smiled as he looked over at Lucy where she was sitting with Levy. The two had become engrossed in a book series, something to do with romance and strong heroines, and he was happy just to see her smiling at the guild. It had been so long since she had been at the guild, let alone smiling so brightly. He'd missed that smile. How her eyes lit up when she was talking about a book she loved.

"Freed," Laxus chuckled, "You alright over there?"

Freed nodded and looked back at the man across the table from him. "Yes, Laxus. I am just happy to see her like this again." Thankfully, his friendship with Laxus had also returned to normal. They had moved past what happened, and Freed had sworn to the blond that he would never hurt Lucy like that again. Repeatedly. For the past two months.

"Me too, man," Laxus said, his stormy eyes softening as he looked at where Lucy sat. When the doors to the guild opened, his attention was instantly drawn to them. Laxus found himself thoroughly intrigued by the sight of Freed's brother, Christophe, standing the doorway and gaping at the rowdy group of mages that were brawling.  _'Huh, I hadn't even realized a fight broke out again,'_  he thought. "Looks like we've got a visitor, Freed."

Freed followed Laxus' gaze over to the guild's entrance, then blinked in surprise. "Christophe?" he whispered. Any member of his family showing up at the guild was the last thing he expected, but he'd never imagined that his younger - and now technically older - brother would look so out of place. But he did. And it must have been exactly what Freed had looked like when he'd come to join Fairy Tail all those years ago. Still, if his brother had taken the time to come to Magnolia and visit, then Freed was going to hear what he had to say. Christophe had been fully supportive of him while he was at the estate after Christmas, after all.

Lucy looked up with a sweet smile when Freed was standing just next to her, then sighed happily when he pressed a tender kiss to her lips. "Hey, you."

Freed chuckled. "Hello, Lucy. I thought you might want to know that we have a visitor."

"A visitor?" Lucy asked curiously. "Who is-" She followed Freed's gaze to the door, then gasped.

"Lucy?" Levy asked curiously. "What's wrong?"

Christophe carefully edged away from the door and started to make his way through the guild. Aside from the fighting that was taking place in the center of the main hall, the sheer volume of the place was astounding. How Freed was able to stand being there was truly baffling to him. His brother loved peace and quiet. He froze when he heard his name being screeched over the boisterous guild, and watched in surprise as everyone came to a halt in an instant. Except for one person.

"Christophe!" Lucy shouted happily. She vaulted from her seat and rushed over to where Freed's brother had frozen, then tackled him to the ground in a tight hug with a laugh. "Oh Mavis, how have you been? It's so good to see you!"

"M-Madam?" Christophe stuttered, blanching when he tried to push the blonde woman off of him and all he felt was bare skin beneath his fingers. Lots of bare skin. "E-Excuse me, but umm… I-I'm here to… Um…"

Freed chuckled softly and leaned down to peel Lucy off of his brother. "Let him breathe, Lucy."

"Oh, whoops," she laughed. "Sorry about that."

Christophe took the proffered hand from the woman, and carefully stood up. As he brushed himself off, he gave her a small smile. "It is fine, madam. I am actually looking for-" He froze and his eyes went wide in recognition. Her face. He knew this woman. The long scar from her forehead to her chin, the full lips, a chocolate eye. Her other eye wasn't covered by the eye patch he'd seen her with before, and instead he saw an oddly colored eye in its place - black sclera instead of white, a purple iris instead of brown, and a slitted feline pupil. But this was her. It was Lucy Heartfilia, the woman that Freed was betrothed to. "L-Lucy?"

She laughed and nodded. "How are you?"

He nodded absently as he took in the rest of her. This was definitely  _not_  the woman he'd met at his father's estate. That day, she'd looked just as a lady should. Corset, gown, heels, the works. But now… Now she was in a slip of black fabric that could hardly be called a skirt, with high slits up the sides that stopped with only an inch of fabric for the top hem; an emerald green tube top that showcased her large chest, dipping in a sweetheart neckline that plunged perfectly between her breasts; ankle high combat boots; a green belt with a key pouch and whip attached to it on either side. "Wh-What…"

"Christophe," Freed said with a raised brow, "I'd suggest you stop ogling your future sister-in-law."

"Huh?" Christophe tore his gaze away from the blonde at the low, menacing tone of Freed's voice, then blanched when he realized that he had, in fact, been staring. "Oh, my apologies. I'm… Sorry, I was just… Um… Well..."

Lucy laughed and rolled her eyes. "Surprised?" she asked. When he nodded absently, she said, "It's okay. You met me wearing something I normally never do. This is how I really dress." She glanced over to the table their team was sitting at, and saw Laxus' raised brow that said he wanted to know just what the hell was going on. "C'mon. We should probably go sit down before my brother decides to electrocute us."

Christophe gulped and followed behind Lucy, falling in step next to Freed. The guild around them went about whispering, their voices steadily growing in volume until they were once again shouting and fighting. "How exactly do you manage to stay focused," he asked, "With her dressed that way?"

"I'm still not entirely sure," Freed chuckled.

"And… her brother?"

Freed smirked when they stopped in front of the table. "Christophe, you remember my teammates. Bickslow, Evergreen, and… Lucy's brother, Laxus."

"B-Brother?" Christophe gulped. Oh, he remembered the man with the lightning-shaped scar over his eye. The one that had been wholly menacing as he stood behind Lucy's chair the day of the meeting, and had electrocuted Avery when he tried to attack their group.

Lucy smiled and gave Laxus a quick peck on the cheek, yelping when a small jolt passed from his skin to her lips. "Watch it, Sparky," she pouted.

"Please," Freed said to Christophe, "Have a seat."

Once everyone was settled, with Lucy taking a seat in Freed's lap, Christophe cleared his throat. "I'm sure you are wondering why I have come, and I wish it was simply for a visit," he said slowly. "But, father has asked that you return to the estate."

"What?" Freed whispered incredulously. "But, I-"

"Oh!" Christophe chuckled. "No, not for that. He has  _invited_  you, I should say, to come for a visit. He wishes to give you and Lucy something."

"Give us something?" Freed asked skeptically. "What could he possibly give us?"

"I'm not sure," Christophe answered. "But he said it would be best if I came to invite you personally instead of sending a letter. So you can see for yourself that he is not trying to steal you away." He paused then, and shifted uncomfortably. "Mother says that she wants to see you, and to meet Lucy."

"I don't-" Freed started to say, only to stop and stare at Lucy when she chimed in.

"Yes," Lucy said firmly. "We'll go and see them."

"What?" Bickslow and Evergreen shouted.

"Sis, what the hell are you doing?" Laxus asked with wide eyes.

She smiled at the rest of her team, then laced her fingers with Freed's. "We'll go, on one condition."

"Name it, and it is yours," Christophe said.

"The Raijinshuu, our team, will come with us. The last time we were at the estate, things left off on a positive note, but I'm sure  _they'll_  feel more comfortable if they're able to be there, and make sure that things go according to plan."

He nodded in understanding. "Avery has been imprisoned, and Father has expressed his concern that you would not want to come. That can be arranged though."

She looked at Freed then. "Is that alright, sweetheart?" she whispered. "I'd love to meet your mom."

Freed let out a slow breath, then nodded. "Yes," he whispered back. "It would be good to see them again. It has been several months, after all." He turned to Christophe then. "When is he expecting us?"

"He has asked that we leave as soon as possible," Christophe sighed. "In truth, I do not want to get on the train just yet."

Bickslow chuckled and draped an arm over Christophe's shoulders, pulling the rigid man close. "Then we'll head out tomorrow. You party with us tonight, Fairy Tail style. And once we're all coherent, we can head out."

Evergreen smirked with a devious glint in her eye. "Cana! You've got a challenger!"

Freed went pale while Lucy laughed. "Christophe," he chuckled, watching as the Card mage sauntered over to their table with a wicked grin on her face and a barrel under her arm. "It seems you're being welcomed to the guild."

"Hell yeah!" Cana shouted. "Mira, Freed 2.0 is here! It's initiation time!"

Laxus smirked when Christophe started stuttering as twenty shots were set out in front of him, Bickslow, and Cana… Each. "Count me in."

"Me too," Evergreen said with a small laugh.

"Same here," Lucy giggled.

"Well, I refuse to be surpassed by my younger brother," Freed chuckled as everyone turned to look at him expectantly. "I will participate as well."

As Mira went about getting the other eighty shot glasses in order, and a large crowd surrounded their table, Lucy smiled over at Christophe. "You'll be staying with us tonight," she said over the shouts of the guild, along with Cana's betting pool for how far he would get. "Welcome to the family."

Christophe chuckled nervously at all the eyes around him, but Lucy's words warmed his heart. He may have been Freed's brother by blood, but this place... These people... Fairy Tail was Freed's family. These were the ones that he wanted to get back to, the place he called home. It was so far removed from the life they'd had growing up. Everything here was full of life and happiness. Everyone was free to be who they were. They openly laughed, they were affectionate. One was even stark naked. Some were sweaty, some had speckles of blood on them from the brawl he'd walked in on, and other had bruises forming. Split lips, black eyes, holding their ribs and wincing in pain as they laughed and joked around. They were a rowdy bunch, and he could tell that they knew a thing or two about having a good time, but they were all happy. There were smiles all around, even from the most intimidating members of the guild - namely, Lucy's brother.

There was a strong sense of camaraderie there. Everyone knew each other, cared for each other. There were small families within the guild that he could see, like the green-haired woman with a dark-haired man off to one side, holding what was clearly their daughter - and all three of them with guns of some sort. A large, terrifyingly muscular man with a scar on his face and strong jaw had his arms wrapped around two white-haired women, one he knew to be Mira Jane Strauss, and another who was younger. A small, slender woman with blue hair was sitting close to a man with long, raven hair and piercings all over; and what could easily pass as their daughter - if she wasn't a teenager - was sitting atop the man's shoulder and playing with his hair as he threw a handful of screws into his mouth. They were all family here...

It might have been completely different from how they were raised - a polar opposite, in fact - but the look on Freed's face was one Christophe hadn't seen in years. A wide smile, his eyes glimmering with happiness, and a blonde right by his side. Only a wisp of a memory came to mind, a younger version of Freed sitting with a young blonde girl that he knew was the woman before him. Freed was truly happy here. No matter how different it was, he was accepted. He was loved. This was what Christophe had wanted for his brother, the reason he had asked for Lucy's help in getting Freed away from the estate. This was his brother's true home.

As everyone picked up their first shots, the group at the table paused and grinned over at Freed's brother. "Welcome to Fairy Tail, Christophe!"


	19. The Justine Estate

Freed frowned as he walked into the bedroom to find Lucy staring at her empty overnight bag, her arms wrapped around herself and nervously nibbling her lower lip. "Lucy?" he asked softly. "Everyone's ready to leave…"

After several rounds of drinks at the guild the day before, they'd had to quite literally carry his unconscious brother to their home when everyone left for the night. The Raijinshuu had all stayed at his and Lucy's home, having decided before the drinking began that it would make more sense to be in one place and leave for the train station together. Needless to say, everyone except for himself and Lucy were dreadfully hungover. It had definitely made breakfast an interesting endeavor. He couldn't remember a time when he'd seen so much toast being consumed to calm the roiling stomachs of the other four occupants in the house.

"I figured," she sighed, her gaze unwavering as she stared at her bag.

"Why haven't you packed?" No one knew just why his father had requested to see them, but Christophe had suggested that it might be best to pack clothing for a few days, just in case.

She let out another, heavier sigh, then lifted her mismatched eyes to her fiance's face. "Well," she muttered, "Do you think… M-Maybe I should umm…"

He closed the distance between them and pulled her slowly into his arms, a soft smile spreading over his face as she melted against him. After so much time spent away from her, not being able to hold and kiss the sweet blonde that had stolen his heart, small moments like this had gained so much more meaning to the Rune mage. He'd taken things like this for granted, the barest brush of her nose just above his cravat, how she was just the right height to comfortably rest her head on his shoulder. The sweet puff of her breath over his flesh. Feeling her heart beating against her chest and into his from just how closely she allowed him to hold her. He'd missed this. All of it. And now that he had her back in his life for good - now that she was wearing the engagement ring on its intended finger, had moved back into the house, and they were once again sharing a bedroom - he resolved to never let moments like this be ignored again. Small moments though they were, these were the ones that showed him that she still loved him as much as he loved her. When they were old and grey, it would be the countless times he'd held this radiant angel in his arms, just like he was right then, that would stay with him for eternity.

After standing in the middle of their room for several silent minutes, Freed whispered, "What's on your mind, Lucy?"

"Well," she whispered uncertainly, "I just… We're going to see your family."

"Yes, we are."

"And… I mean, I haven't met your mom or anything," she continued. "And your dad met me in… well… Not the stuff I usually wear… And um…"

Freed drew back in surprise, staring incredulously at the sweet blonde in his embrace. "Lucy," he slowly replied, "What would make you think that you should dress any differently than you normally do?"

She deflated at that. "I just don't want to make a bad impression on them," she answered. Her eyes slowly lifted when Freed's lips pressed the smallest of kisses across her cheek, and she found a pout settling on her lips when he smiled. "Your dad already has this impression of me, and-"

"And those were extenuating circumstances," Freed interjected. He chuckled and shook his head, then sat her down on the bed after pushing her empty bag to the floor. Once her hands were tenderly grasped in his, he continued. "My father already knows you to be the intelligent, beautiful, resilient, and stubborn woman that you are. What you  _wear_  will have no bearing on that."

"Yeah, but…"

He shook his head again. "No, Lucy. I would like for everyone to know the woman I love just as you are. You don't need to dress a certain way or worry about impressing anyone. You and I left that life behind, and while I might still ascribe to a good portion of the ideals my father instilled in me, being in Fairy Tail has taught me one very valuable lesson." He paused and lifted a hand to lightly brush his thumb under her transparent eye patch, a tender smile on his face. "To be proud of exactly who you are, without fail.  _You_  are a brilliant ray of light that shines no matter how dire the circumstances might be. The amount of fabric that's covering - or not covering - you has nothing to do with that. My family should meet you as you truly are, not as they wish, or expect, to see you."

Lucy smiled and leaned her cheek into Freed's hand. "So, I'm being silly?" she asked, giggling.

He nodded. "Positively silly," he answered, his smile widening when she rolled her eyes. He leaned forward, pulling her just that smallest bit closer and sighed into the languid movement of her lips against his. This was as far as they had gotten in the way of physical intimacy since Lucy had returned home. He didn't mind it in the slightest, because her scarred lips were utter perfection in his eyes. He wanted her to trust him again, the way she had trusted him before, and Freed knew that it would only happen with time. And reminders that he did truly love her and wasn't planning on leaving her. He knew that he was regaining her trust, and they were both working toward the relationship that they once had. The proof was in the way she lightly traced along his jaw, and how he was slowly pushed backwards to lie on the bed as her tongue dipped between his lips.

It was almost as though they were doing this for the first time all over again. Neither moving too quickly, or letting the roiling hunger deep within them manifest to push things any further. Just a kiss. Just her fingers threading through the silky strands of his hair. Just his long, slender fingers tenderly circling the bare flesh on the small of her back. She knew they had shared countless moments just like this one, but it felt new somehow. More special. She was sure it had something to do with the fact that they had rekindled their relationship. She and Freed had reconciled and came through the pregnancy scare as better people. Yes, neither of them had exactly handled that particular situation very well, but they'd learned a valuable lesson from it. One that they, and everyone else, had assumed they already knew. Communication was the most important part of a relationship. They had to talk things out, and be open with one another.

But, for the moment, Lucy was done talking. She just wanted to enjoy this feeling with the man of her dreams. She wanted to feel him against her again, and have that sense of fraying his tightly bound control over his baser desires. Not completely, but just a little. Lucy craved it, in a sense, because she was the only person that had done it. No one knew where he was sensitive, or just how to make him writhe. Only her.

"Hey, Cosplayer!" Bickslow called as he walked through the open door to Freed and Lucy's room. "Did you have another…" He froze only a couple feet past the door, then blinked in surprise at the scene before him. The Raijinshuu knew that Lucy was taking things slow, considering they had each talked with both herself and the Rune mage separately about it. At length. "Uh…" Problem was… What the young couple was doing on the bed was far from slow. At least, in the normal sense of the word. "Oh, shit," he chuckled nervously. "M-My bad…"

Lucy's lips never left Freed's, her tongue still gliding effortlessly over his and her leg slowly sliding across his lap. She frantically waved her hand to silently tell Bickslow to get the hell out of there. She'd spent months not kissing Freed like this.  _Months_! She refused to let anyone interrupt them.

"Y-Yeah, I'll uh… Damn," the Seith mage muttered to himself with wide eyes, unable to tear his gaze from the spectacle of Lucy's body pressed against the Rune mage's, or Freed so openly giving none of the fucks about anything aside from the blonde right then. Propriety was apparently in the middle of gargling the alphabet around the green-haired mage's balls. "I-I'll tell everyone you need…" His jaw dropped when Freed's hand lightly massaged its way up Lucy's thigh, dancing closer and closer to the hem of the deep red pleated micro-skirt she was wearing as she fully straddled him. "Wow… Okay, yeah…" The Seith mage wandered away from the room in a daze just as he heard Lucy let out a long, muffled moan.

Bickslow's footsteps faded, and Lucy finally pulled away for air, lifting herself just a little higher when Freed tried to kiss his way down her throat. "F-Freed," she panted, her eyes sliding closed when his fingers circled the bare flesh of one rounded cheek beneath her skirt. "Wait."

He froze in an instant, not even trying to move his hand away from her. Instead, Freed looked up into the gorgeous eyes of the woman he loved, doing everything in his power to do as she'd asked. It was more difficult than ever to hold back now that he knew just how perfect she felt wrapped around him. Still, he managed. He'd told her nearly a year prior, when they had first started dating, that all she needed to do was tell him to stop, and he would. 'Wait' wasn't necessarily the same thing, but he knew that she needed a moment to compose herself. "Of course," he whispered.

"We need to get going, sweetie," she smiled. She didn't want to leave, but it was probably for the best. Things needed to slow back down, and they were getting a little too intense for her at the moment.  _'Especially because there's a house full of people, and the bedroom door's open.'_

He nodded in understanding. "Well, you still need to pack," he smirked. It was probably for the best that they stopped before they got ahead of themselves. Slowly, he helped Lucy right herself, then smoothed his coat and discreetly adjusted himself while she fixed her skirt. "Would you like some help?" he offered quietly.

"Oh, no," she giggled, pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. "I'll be down in just a minute."

Freed smiled and lifted her bag from the floor, placing it back on the bed as she walked off to the closet. "I will wait for you downstairs then," he called out, chuckling when her head poked out of the closet and she gave him a brilliant smile.

Lucy sighed happily as she grabbed her clothes and set about finally getting her bag packed. Freed was right, though. She was being ridiculous about the whole thing. She hadn't cared what anyone thought of her style choice before, and that didn't need to change just because she was going to be visiting his parents. Sure, his mom might a little alarmed at just how little clothing she had on, and Frances was probably going to have much the same reaction that Christophe had, but that was okay. Maybe it wouldn't be that big of a deal after all.

Besides, she was going to be their daughter-in-law at some point - which was something, she realized, that she and Freed needed to discuss. They hadn't even begun planning for their wedding when she started pulling away from him, then she'd gotten sick. One thing after another had pushed that particular detail off to the side, and now that they were back together she really was excited to start planning for it.

With that thought in mind, Lucy grabbed her bag, then made sure she had her bracelet that requipped her keys and whip, and rushed down the stairs. "Ever!" she shouted, nearly stumbling on the landing and then falling flat on her ass when she ran into Laxus' back at the base of the stairs. With a wide grin, she looked around the room for the brunette Fairy mage.

"Lucy?" Evergreen laughed as Laxus rolled his eyes and helped the young blonde stand up. "Is everything okay?"

She nodded quickly. "Better than okay," she said quickly. She looked at the men in the room to see all of them staring at her - and that Freed was blushing while Christophe discreetly held a handkerchief to his nose - then added, "I'm ready, by the way."

Freed chuckled when his brother made a choking noise in the back of his throat. "I already know what you are thinking," he whispered, "And no. She will dress comfortably while we are visiting. I do not expect her to hide who she is, and father will just have to accept it."

Christophe nodded minutely. Surely, he would have been told if it their visit was for some sort of function. He just had to hope that wasn't the case.

"So, Ever," Lucy said excitedly, "I need your help."

"With what?" the Fairy mage asked as their group left the house and started making their way to the train station.

"Planning the wedding," Lucy giggled. Her laughter only increased when Laxus stumbled. And she found herself cracking up when Bickslow started laughing, then was promptly shocked.

Freed smiled and gently grabbed Lucy's hand, lacing their fingers together and lightly squeezing to gain her attention. When her cheery gaze met with his, he whispered, "You're ready to start planning?"

"Definitely," Lucy replied. And she was. They could set the date a little later in the year, or even after the new year started in another six months. That would give them plenty of time to make all the preparations they needed, and for her and Freed to continue working toward building their relationship back up to how it was. Regardless of what had happened, she still loved the Rune mage, and she still wanted to marry him. It just felt… Right.  _'Aquarius told me to just go with it when it feels right,'_  she reminded herself. Freed's hand left hers and his arm wrapped around her waist instead, and Lucy sighed happily when his lips pressed gently to her hair. "I love you, Freed," she whispered, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too, Lucy."

* * *

Christophe had spent a good portion of the train ride to Oshibana learning about his brother's closest friends, and the woman he intended to marry. It was still strange that Freed found the outlandish characters - namely Bickslow - he associated with so easy to be around, and that he preferred being in Fairy Tail to life in high society. Still, he could see just how happy his brother was in this life that he'd created for himself.

Just as he had been told story after story of their adventures, and some misadventures, together, Christophe had also been able to tell them a few interesting stories about his childhood with Freed. When there was a lull in the nearly constant conversation, with everyone's laughter over the prank Freed had played on Christophe and Avery dying down, he found himself sighing happily. Really, no matter how different this group of mages was, he could see that they all cared about one another.  _'I could see myself growing closer to these people as well,'_  he thought.

"So Freed," Bickslow said with a devious grin, "I've gotta know, man. How's your sex life with Cosplayer?"

Laxus growled and glared at the Seith mage.

Evergreen clicked her tongue and smacked Bickslow with her fan, causing the totems around him to giggle.

Lucy laughed and punched Bickslow's shoulder from her spot between him and her fiance.

Freed blushed profusely.

Christophe well and truly blanched.

"Hell no," Laxus growled. "Bix, shut the fuck up. I don't wanna hear about my best friend fucking my little sister. I love you guys, but that one day was enough."

Bickslow grinned and waved off the blond Slayer. "C'mon," he laughed. "Cosplayer, you'll tell me, right? Is Freed into anything crazy? Like… Talking dirty or some shit?" Okay, so dirty talk wasn't exactly 'crazy', but this was Freed they were talking about. He just couldn't picture the Rune mage doing much of anything really weird in the bedroom. He, along with the rest of the Raijinshuu, already knew that whatever Freed  _did_  do when it came to being in bed with Lucy… She apparently enjoyed the shit out of it. Then again, they only had experience with one another.

Lucy grinned. "Oh, yeah," she giggled. "Freed knows just how to turn me on with some dirty talk. You should hear it sometime."

Freed blanched and stared at the Celestial mage next to him in horror. "L-Lucy," he hissed, "What are you talking about?"

She turned to face him, then winked so he was the only one that could see it. "Go on, sweetie," she smirked. "Talk dirty to me…"

His eyes widened for only a moment before realization hit, then he visibly relaxed. With a smirk of his own, he calmly said, "Unwashed petri dishes."

Everyone in the compartment watched in shock, and a little bit of disgust, as Lucy threw her head back and moaned, "Oh god! YES! Just like that, Freed!"

"Bickslow's gym bag," Freed continued.

"Oh, that's disgusting," Evergreen whispered in horror. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Bickslow nodding in agreement. Bickslow's gym bag was well known for smelling absolutely horrendous. Then again, no one ever saw him put anything in, or take anything out of it, so it wasn't clear if he actually had a bag that smelled horrible just to mess with people.

Lucy turned sharply to face him, a devious grin spreading across her lips. "A white horse, covered in mud," she rasped.

"Oh, good heavens," Freed breathed. "An untreated bacterial infection."

"Licking day old raw chicken on the counter."

"A toothbrush in the toilet," Freed countered, his breath hitching when Lucy started leaning closer to him, her eyes half-lidded. What they were saying wasn't doing anything to excite him in the slightest. But Lucy… Just being near her could bring him to an almost painful level of arousal.

"Mmm… Moldy bread," she whispered, her words ending on a soft moan as their breath mingled.

Laxus' mouth was hanging open, the corners pulled down into a frown and his eyes narrowed in disgust. This shit was beyond fucking vile. It was official: he was going to end Bickslow's entire existence for this. It was  _definitely_  something he didn't need to know about Freed and Lucy.

"A f-fine Pinot Noir, spilled on a white Persian rug," Freed stammered, his cheeks flushing when her lips brushed over his. He barely heard Christophe gasp, and didn't need to look over to see the horrified look on his brother's face. Pinot Noir  _was_  Christophe's favorite, after all.

"Freed," Lucy whimpered, placing her hand on his thigh. "Brain matter and a ruptured intestinal tract…"

The Rune mage lifted a hand, then slowly traced the line of her collarbone up to her throat. He felt her shiver against him, and his eyes flashed with excitement as hers slid closed. "Sullied latex gloves dangling from a biohazard container."

Lucy gasped and pulled back from him with wide eyes. "Freed…" His name was a quivering moan. "You had me at 'sullied'!" She fell backwards, landing on the stunned Seith mage with her arms stretched out over her head, then dramatically said, "Take me, you cad!"

Freed lifted a hand to his chin and gave her a smug smirk, one that Bickslow had so lovingly been calling his 'Laxus-sexual' face for the past few years. It took less than a second for the woman sprawled out across the bench and over the stunned Seith mage to laugh. Hysterically. And between one breath and the next, Freed was laughing just as hard.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?!" Bickslow shouted, pushing the laughing blonde off of him. He knew he wasn't the only one thinking it either. The other four people in the compartment had been staring at the couple as though they were fucking serial killers. Honestly, that thought in and of itself was horrifying. They would be way too good at covering their tracks if they were…  _'The world is doomed if Lucy and Freed turn evil…'_

Christophe shook his head while watching Freed help the blonde sit up properly. He'd never known his brother to have that sort of sense of humor. Maybe it was because of Lucy. Or maybe it was just a byproduct of being a member of Fairy Tail. He'd learned the hard way that their guild was full of perverts - especially Cana and her father, Gildarts. And the guild master. He'd lost count of how many times the small man had been caught looking up Lucy's skirt or staring at a woman's chest. "You two are made for each other," he chuckled.

After their laughter died down, Bickslow found himself simply smiling. Freed and Lucy were a couple of weirdos, that was for sure. But it was still better to see them laughing and smiling with one another again. Finally, a thought occurred to him. "Y'know," he said slowly, "If you spill red wine on a white blouse, there's a way to fix it."

"What?" Evergreen scoffed. "Bickslow, don't be ridiculous."

"I'm serious," he countered earnestly. "Just take the rest of the bottle and pour it into a pot, then soak the whole shirt in it. And… Voila!" He grinned, pulling his visor off and settling it on his lap. "Instant mulberry-colored shirt."

Evergreen blinked slowly, along with everyone else in the compartment.

"Man," Bickslow sighed, "Repurposing is great…" When Laxus and Evergreen both just stared at him, he pouted. "What? I did it with one of Laxus' shirts once… You're  _welcome_ , by the way."

"Bix," Evergreen said, her eye twitching slightly. "Do you have  _any_  idea how much money you could have saved me? I can't tell you how many times I've had to buy new clothes for that very reason!"

Lucy laughed and laid her head on Freed's chest as his arm wrapped around her again, both of them watching as Evergreen dove across the compartment to give Bickslow the beating of a lifetime with her fan.

* * *

Lucy felt Freed's grip on her hand tightening slightly in a silent search of reassurance as their carriage passed through the large gates that led to the Justine Estate. She turned to look at him curiously, then noticed how he was nervously chewing on the inside of his lip. His gaze lifted to meet with hers, and she gave him a soft smile in return. "Nothing to worry about," she whispered.

Freed sighed softly and loosened his grip on her hand, then brought it to his lips as the carriage slowed just in front of the grand staircase that would lead to the already opened front doors. He chanced a glance out of the window and winced when he saw that both of his parents were waiting for them. This wasn't normal. Not in the slightest. Luckily, their team was with them. Well, Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow were in the first carriage with Christophe. Apparently, the group had decided as a whole that Freed and Lucy needed some time to themselves from the train station to the Justine estate. It wasn't as though they would have time to do anything to begin with, not that he was planning on it. Besides, he was far too nervous about whatever was about to happen.

It had been months since he'd seen his father. Months since Lucy and the Raijinshuu had come to collect him. He had left the estate without so much as a single word to his mother, and it left him wondering just what his father had told her concerning his sudden disappearance, along with Avery's placement in prison.  _'That's if she knows at all…'_ He had always hated just how little his mother knew about what was going on in the estate. His father kept her in the dark on so much, always explaining to the three young Justines that there were some things that one's wife didn't need to worry over. But, Freed knew it was wrong. It was why he was so adamant about open communication in his relationship with Lucy, and immensely thankful that she agreed with him on it. The Rune mage knew from experience just what secrets and lies could do to a relationship, not just from what had happened with the sweet blonde, but from watching his own parents drifting further and further apart as the years progressed.

"Freed, it's going to be fine." Lucy's brow furrowed in concern when he nodded quickly. "Are you really scared of Frances?"

He sighed, visibly deflating. "I am not scared," he answered slowly. "But I am wary."

"Well, it's fine to be cautious," she replied. "But, Freed…"

The carriage stopped, and he listened to Christophe and the others stepping out into the courtyard, specifically Bickslow's cackling. What was it that his father wanted? Was his mother upset with him for leaving again without even telling her goodbye? Why were they standing outside and waiting for them? He inhaled sharply when he felt Lucy's lips on his, a startled gasp sounding out in the silent carriage when she bit his lip playfully.

"I'm right here with you," Lucy whispered, her lips gliding over his cheek to his ear and her arms wrapping around him from where she sat at his side. "We're in this together, right?"

He nodded and returned her tender embrace. "We are," he sighed. A small smile curved his lips when there was a tentative knock on the door. "We should be going," he chuckled. "I'm sure they are wondering where we are."

"Yeah, they are," came Laxus' muffled, humor-filled reply.

Lucy and Freed let out small laughs as the door opened. Freed left the carriage first, then turned and offered Lucy his hand. A soft smile pulled at his lips when she rolled her eyes and jumped down on her own. He knew the Celestial mage was independent, but that wouldn't stop him from offering her assistance, just as he was raised to do. The couple walked toward the rest of the group behind the tall Slayer, then made their way up the stairs to the entrance. With each step, Freed felt his heart beating just a little faster. The last time he had been in the estate, it hadn't been pleasant. It had been stifling. He'd wanted nothing more than to return to Magnolia, to Fairy Tail, to his team, and most importantly… to Lucy.

But she was with him now. They were coming to visit with his family of their own free will. Yes, an invitation had been extended, but they could have refused. Even though Lucy had accepted it, he could have said no, and then explained whatever his reasoning might have been that he didn't want to return. But he  _had_  said that they would visit. He'd told his father they would come back soon. Nearly six months was long enough.

Still, he was worried about what the visit was about.  _'Christophe told us that father wants to give us something,'_  he reminded himself. But what could that possibly be? A gentle pressure on his hand drew his attention as they reached the top of the stairs, and he let out a slow, steadying breath when he looked to his left, to the bright smile and mismatched eyes of the woman he loved. Lucy was here with him. She always knew just what he needed, even when he fell so deeply into his own thoughts that he lost sight of everything around them.

"Father," Christophe said with a small bow. "I apologize for the delay in my return."

"Nah," Bickslow laughed. "Don't be sorry!" He draped an arm around Christophe's shoulders as he looked at Mr. and Mrs. Justine's slightly surprised faces. "Christophe here was getting a proper Fairy Tail welcome."

"Bix," Laxus grumbled, "Shut it." He rolled his eyes when the Seith mage's tongue lolled from his mouth as his grin widened.

Christophe chuckled uncomfortably under his father's scrutinizing gaze; although, he did nothing to move the Seith mage's appendage. "Yes, but Freed and Lucy have come."

"I assume that they wished for their… Teammates… to accompany them?" Frances asked with a raised brow.

Christophe nodded. "Yes, sir."

The head of the Justine family sighed softly. "I see." He had hoped that Freed would trust him enough to not feel the need to involve other members of his guild, but this was something he'd been planning for. The last time his eldest - by birth only, now - had been at the estate hadn't been the most pleasant experience. Still, it was something he hoped to remedy. "And… where might they be, precisely?"

The group frowned and looked around, only to realize that Lucy was silently giggling as she and Freed stood behind Laxus' hulking frame. The blonde Slayer sighed and stepped to the side, letting his sister and best friend take a step forward to finally greet Frances.

"Father," Freed said, bowing his head slightly. "Mother."

Frances' eyes were wide as he gaped at the blonde on Freed's arm. There was no denying this was the same Lucy he'd met several months before. The scar across her face, the same face that was nearly identical to her late mother's, was enough of an indication. As well as the purple-irised eye with a slitted pupil that he'd only caught a small glimpse of that day. The rest of her though… It was as though the woman that had bested him in returning Freed to his chosen life had her face superimposed on someone else entirely.

A crimson pleated skirt that was so short, she might as well not have been wearing anything at all. A pale pink cropped t-shirt was stretched to its limit across her chest, hugging her thin waist and stopping several inches above her navel. Her pale, slender legs were bare, her feet covered in worn combat boots. Her long blonde hair was shining in the summer sun, braided and hanging over her shoulder, with one long wisp of hair having fallen from the plaits to frame her face.

Lucy smiled at Freed's mother, blushing when she saw the pale blonde's mouth hanging open only slightly. "It's a pleasure to m-"

Everyone jolted in surprise when there was a loud thud, then turned to see that Frances Justine had collapsed to the ground, with a veritable fountain of blood gushing from his nose.

"Oh, really, Frances," Mrs. Justine sighed, shaking her head.

Freed and Christophe blinked curiously at their father, never having witnessed him losing his composure like this before.

Evergreen snickered behind her fan.

Bickslow and his babies cackled and giggled, respectively.

Laxus smirked. "Well, now we know where Freed gets that shit from," he muttered.

Lucy nodded, placing her hand over her mouth when she saw Frances twitching slightly and that his eyes were rolled back in his head. "Oh my god," she giggled. "Like father like son!"

"I assure you," Freed sniffed, "I am not  _that_  bad."

"Three words, Freed," Lucy smirked. "Tenrou bikini babes."

Without a moment's hesitation, Freed dropped to the ground. Mirroring his father, in both the level of twitching and blood pouring from his nose. Laxus blinked slowly while Evergreen and Bickslow laughed hysterically. Christophe and Mrs. Justine shared a soft smile and quiet laugh. Lucy shook her head and giggled.

"Sis," Laxus said with a furrowed brow, "Why is it he passes out at the mention of that, when he sees you like that all the time anyway?"

Lucy grinned deviously. "I'm not sure, Laxus," she laughed. She wasn't going to tell him, or anyone else for that matter, that she had - at one point, just a couple weeks before Christmas - decided to reenact their little fight on Tenrou in the bedroom. She had been wearing the same white bikini with pink flowers, repeating the same sultry words that Cana's manifested cards had said while slowly stripping for Freed. He'd been rooted to the spot on Tenrou, pretending to be stunned and unable to fight back. That day though… He'd been entranced by the sight of  _her_  while she slinked, naked, across the bedroom and stripped him down, whispering that she was his 'bikini babe'. "I'm not sure at all."

* * *

Lucy peeked out of the door to her bedroom, looking down one end of the hall, then the other to make sure there weren't any servants still lurking around. She was sure they were there somewhere, but she just didn't want to get caught. With a slow, steadying breath, she pulled her silk robe tighter around herself, then slipped out of the room, making sure the door closed silently behind her.

They hadn't exactly planned on staying the night. Well, they had been prepared to do just that, but Lucy and Freed, along with the rest of their team, had hoped that they wouldn't need to. Things hadn't exactly gone according to plan, though. After Freed and Frances woke up and cleaned themselves up, Marcus - the head butler - had swiftly informed the Justine head that there was some emergency concerning one of their clients that needed his immediate attention. It meant that whatever Frances and Angela - the name she had learned for Freed's mother after they were properly introduced - were going to talk to them about would have to wait.

Now, here she was. Silently padding down the hall along the plush carpet running the full length of it. She didn't want to be in a room by herself. She hated it. The room they had provided her with was gorgeous, with a large bed that she could never hope to use up on her own. The sheets were soft and smooth against her flesh. But she was by herself. Freed had been sent to his old room, while the Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen were in three other rooms in an adjacent hallway. Lucy understood why it had been done, because technically - according to high society's standards - she and Freed shouldn't have done anything more than supervised handholding. Sleeping in the same bed was utterly taboo before marriage, let alone having sex with someone. That was downright scandalous if it ever came to light.

But she didn't care about any of that. She wanted to be with Freed, and that was exactly what she was going to do. It was a little surprising that he hadn't already made his way to her room instead, but she assumed that he was just trying to play by the rules and keep his father's anger with him to a minimum.  _'Freed said I shouldn't hide who I am,'_  she thought defiantly. Well, she was a woman that slept in the same bed as her fiance. Because she loved him, hated being alone, found the most comfort from being in his arms… And because they kept each others' nightmares away. Her room was far too similar to the one she'd had while growing up. She couldn't be alone in there. It would drive her mad, or cause her to wake up crying and screaming. She  _really_  didn't feel like making a spectacle of herself that way - or any other way, for that matter - so, she was taking charge.

If Freed wasn't going to come to her, then she was going to him. That was that.

Luckily, she seemed to know just where his room was at. She had no clue why, but the Celestial mage knew that the door she stopped in front of, the one her feet had been drawn to as though it was second nature, would lead to her prize. Her sweet Rune mage. She paused with her hand ready to turn the knob, nibbling her lip while she debated with herself on just what she was going to do. She didn't have time to get all wishy-washy though. Especially not when she heard quick footsteps echoing through the cavernous hall she was standing in, coming from somewhere nearby.

The last thing Lucy wanted or needed was for any of the Justine's staff to find her right there, in front of Freed's door. Without another moment's hesitation, Lucy pushed the door open and ducked inside just as Marcus was rounding the corner into the hallway she'd just vacated. She grinned and winked at Freed as he stared at her in surprise from where he was seated on the bed, the book in his lap still open.

Her eyes went wide as the footsteps coming down the hall paused just in front of Freed's door. The door she hadn't had time to fully close. Lucy took a quick step to the side as the door was pushed open a few inches, holding her breath and throwing a hand over her mouth just in case.

"Master Freed," Marcus said, his voice low and calm as he stared at the floor of the hallway, "I noticed your door was open. Is there anything you need?"

"No," Freed answered, keeping his gaze trained on the book in his lap just in case the butler chose to look inside - which was something he hoped wouldn't happen, considering he was wearing only a pair of pajama pants. Regardless of how he saw his scars, he still didn't want everyone to see them. Not yet. "Good evening, Marcus."

"Good evening, Master Freed," came the soft reply just before the door was shut fully.

Lucy let out a heavy breath and smiled as she made her way over to the bed, watching as the green-haired mage set a bookmark in his place and laid the book on his nightstand. "Hi," she giggled quietly, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Hello," Freed smirked. "Is there something you needed?"

She shook her head. Then nodded slowly. Then sighed. "Well, yes and no." When he simply stared at her, waiting for her to continue, she gave him a sheepish smile. "I just can't sleep properly unless I have you with me."

"Well," Freed chuckled, turning down the blanket and shifting to the side so Lucy could get comfortable, "I would hate to deprive you of a proper night's rest."

Lucy rolled her eyes and stood up, then let her robe slide down her arms to pool on the floor. The instant hunger that manifested in Freed's gaze had her blushing - a reaction, she was sure, would never go away - and she looked down at herself to make sure her nightie was still in place.

"Gods," Freed breathed, his eyes raking over her pale flesh that was complemented by the pale blue of her silk nightdress. Thin black straps were knotted behind her neck, leading down to twin periwinkle triangles over her breasts, edged in black lace. A matching strip of lace lay just below her bust, with the same pale blue silk hanging perfectly on her sinful curves and ending only a scant few inches below where her normal mini-skirts did with another hem of black lace. It still baffled him, how he had managed to find someone that was as intelligent, kind, sweet, and utterly breathtaking as the woman before him. "You're so beautiful."

Her flush deepened, but she still moved to take her place next to him in the bed, pulling the blanket up over her legs. After a moment, she turned to face him, lacing their fingers together. He pressed a tender kiss to her knuckles, and Lucy sighed happily as they both laid down. She loved simply lying in bed with Freed. Even when neither of them were saying a single word, just being with him had contentment washing through her in thick, soothing waves. One hand slid up to toy with a lock of his hair, and she sighed happily. "Do you think they'll be upset when they find out I came in here?"

Freed gave her a small smile. "It is a possibility, but…" He grinned and wrapped his arm around her waist. "I don't care." He didn't care one bit what his family thought at this point. He and Lucy would eventually be married. They had lived together for the entirety of their relationship, since Lucy's home had been destroyed in a failed attempt on her life only two days after she had saved him from Ansa and her men. Her presence helped to keep his nightmares away, and when they came anyway… She was still there to soothe him and make everything alright. Just as he was for her.

Lucy nibbled her lip for a moment, then slowly closed the distance between them and lightly kissed him. It had been months since she had allowed any form of intimacy between them, well, anything more than this. That small taste earlier in the day, when Bickslow had waltzed into their bedroom only to stumble his way back out of it, had her remembering just how wonderful it felt to have Freed pressed against her, filling her, loving and worshipping every inch of her body. She missed it more than she realized she would have. Of course, there had been the obvious damper on their sex lives as a result of her being sick, and then pulling away from him. And it carried through to the past two months as they worked to rebuild their relationship. The past week alone had been more than difficult as she laid in bed with him at night. His arms would wrap around her as she cuddled up to him. They would share small, chaste kisses here and there while talking, but Freed never tried to go any further than that. It seemed he was leaving things in her hands again, waiting for her to feel comfortable enough to allow anything more than what little they were doing.

And that was another reason she had come to his room. Aside from wanting to work back up to the level of intimacy they'd had before, Lucy had been terrified of having sex and actually becoming pregnant this time around. She was back on her birth control though, and she already knew that Freed had condoms in their bedroom. Still, it stuck with her. That fear of him rejecting her and the child, of losing him for good because of a  _real_  unplanned pregnancy. And yet… The memory of what he'd told her when they finally talked, the day she'd found out that she wasn't actually pregnant and Laxus had gone all 'psycho-overprotective-big-brother-dragon-asshole' on Freed… It popped up every single time she found herself worrying about whether or not they should move forward.

_"I might not be ready for a child," he said finally, "And the idea of being a father, and having to care for another life when I can hardly do it for myself sometimes, is absolutely terrifying. But... I love you, Lucy. I don't think I'll be a good father, not with what's happened in the past year... But, I'm willing to try. I won't abandon you just because of this, and I won't let our child feel as though I don't love the two of you. I would like to be in your life... In whatever capacity you'll allow me to be there..."_

It was what she had needed to hear, to know that she had his support. It didn't mean she was ready in the slightest to have children yet. Yes, she loved kids. She was sure that she would be a great mom one day. But she hadn't loved the "baby" that turned out to not exist. Not yet, at least. Some people just didn't feel that connection right away, and it only solidified it for the Celestial mage that she and Freed both weren't ready to have them. One day though. One day, they would be ready. If it happened before they planned on it, then so be it. She and Freed had gone through hell and back to be together, and Lucy decided she was done with all of the bullshit. She wanted him. Good god, did she want him.

Freed gasped softly when Lucy's nails lightly raked down his chest and her fingers dove beneath the band of his boxers and pajama pants. "L-Lucy!" he whispered, his breath leaving in a violent  _whoosh_  as her hand closed over his already hardening shaft. He gulped and found a low groan spilling from him as her tongue pushed between his lips. His hips rolled of their own accord, slowly thrusting into that dainty hand. "W-Wait."

Lucy pulled back from his lips and paused. "I don't want to wait anymore, Freed," she whispered. "I'm tired of waiting."

"We can't though…"

Her hand slowly pulled away from him, instead lightly tracing the scars over his hips. "Why? Because we're at your parents'?" she asked, then grimaced. "I mean, I guess it's not really the best time to-"

"No!" he said quickly. "No, I just mean… Well, I didn't think you would want to do that h-here, and… S-So I didn't bring any condoms with me."

She grinned deviously at him then. "Oh, is that all?" she giggled. "Freed, you don't need to worry about that."

"I do though," he answered in earnest. "The last time we…" He sighed heavily as Lucy kissed him to cut off his protests. "Lucy… Wait…" Just as he was getting ready to push her off of him and jump out of the bed - even though his body was screaming to just let the woman do what she pleased with him, consequences be damned - he felt something pressing against his palm. Something with sharp corners, and the familiar metallic crinkling of that little square packet.

"I know we're not ready for kids," Lucy whispered as she looked into Freed's wide eyes. "And I didn't think you'd bring one, so I did." Just when she was ready to give up, thinking she'd either broken his poor poor brain or he just didn't want to do this… Freed tackled her to the bed. She caught the smallest glimpse of the excitement and hunger in his eyes before he was on her, his hands moving possessively over her body, grasping every curve, kneading every inch of supple flesh he came across. His lips and tongue and teeth were on a mission to have her a quivering mess before their clothes were even off. That much she was sure of.

"You're sure," Freed rasped as his fingers moved to untie the top of her nightgown.

"Definitely."

He grinned and bared her breasts, taking a moment to just stare at the perfection that was Lucy's body. "Good god, I'm so lucky," he groaned, diving down and wrapping his lips around one rosebud peak. The way her hands tangled in his hair, pulling him closer as she let out a light moan, drew something deep within him to the surface. He wanted to spend hours with Lucy, ravish her body the same way they had done when he returned home with her from the estate. He was desperate for her, needy in a way that he never thought would happen. He'd gone so long without feeling her like this, listening to her breathy pleasured mewls and whimpers, feeling her writhing and her hands trailing over his scars, that he needed all of it right then. Every sensation, every sound, he'd been wishing for crashed into him all at once.

"Freed," Lucy moaned, squeaking in surprise when his hand shot up and clamped over her mouth. She watched with wide eyes as he slowly lifted his head, his breathing heavy and a look in his eyes that just screamed  _"Run, hide! You're his prey!"_

"We'll need to stay quiet," he rasped, licking a searing path up the center of her chest, then over to her ear. "The staff will hear if we aren't, and… I can't tell you what I'll do if someone interrupts us."

Lucy shivered excitedly, lightly nipping at his palm. She carefully lifted her hips and pushed her nightgown and panties down over them, her eyes rolling back as Freed's fingers pushed into her with no warning whatsoever. With trembling hands, she reached down and stroked Freed through his clothes, smiling when his head dropped to her shoulder and his lips closed around her flesh to muffle his own pleasure.

Muted moans barely travelled past the edge of the bed as she pushed the last piece of clothing down his legs. Frantic, urgent, desperate need clawed at the mages, forcing them to move faster. More and more rough with each passing second. Lucy grabbed the condom that had fallen to the bed in Freed's haste to feel her, and tore it open quickly. The wrapper was discarded, and the rubber rolled over him in record time. "Please," she whimpered, a shuddering moan ripping itself from her throat as his fingers left her sex.

Freed pulled back only slightly, and rolled Lucy onto her stomach. A dark grin spread across his face when he straddled her legs just before she could spread them, and the look of alarm in her eyes as she turned to stare at him - and how sultry it was, otherwise - only served to further his desire. He wanted to hear her scream his name, but he couldn't.  _'Not tonight…'_

"Freed, what're you..." Lucy moaned as he leaned down and his tongue pushed forcefully past her parted lips.

"Lift," he growled against her, applying pressure to her hips with one hand and pushing a pillow under her once the blonde complied. He forced himself to slow down though as he grasped his aching cock and brushed it over her slit. He didn't want to hurt her. Freed just needed her so badly, it was nearly painful. He'd kept his lust for her held on a tight leash for too long. He knew he was addicted to her, in every sense of the word. Her body trembled beneath his touch, and while a part of him worried that it wasn't from an equal level of desire, but from fear… Lucy was kissing him back with just as much ferocity. Her slender fingers dug into his hips as he pushed forward, slowly filling her weeping sex until their bodies were flush with one another. Not one bit of space was left between them.

Lucy whimpered as he went still, feeling his hot breath fanning over her lips when he pulled back only slightly to look into her eyes. Her loose blonde locks were brushed off to one side, away from her back. Once his scarred flesh was touching hers again, he laced their fingers together - with his palms over the backs of her hands - and pulled their joined hands up to the headboard.

"I love you so much," Freed whispered tenderly, a smile spreading across his face that matched her own.

"I love you too, sweetie."

He gave her only one more small kiss before pulling his hips back and snapping them forward with a low groan. Her head turned quickly, her face buried in the pillow beneath her as he started a relentless pace. Freed wasn't able to hold himself back any longer. Every time he was nestled deeply in her quivering sex, he felt as though she'd gifted him with the sweetest slice of heaven. And the way she gripped his hands, using what little leverage she could muster to push back against his already pistoning hips, made him realize that Lucy truly was just as desperate for this.

Lucy moaned into the pillows again and again, each one louder than the last. His lips pressed to her neck to muffle every increasingly guttural groan. The Rune mage pushed deeper than ever before, and Lucy found herself greedily rolling her hips back into him. Their skin slapped violently, but there wasn't a single sound from the bed. No creaking springs, and no slamming headboard. Then again, they were holding the headboard tightly to the wall.

"Oh gods, Lucy," Freed hissed in her ear, nipping harshly at the tender lobe. Her answering full-body shudder, and the way her sex fluttered around him, had his blood boiling. Now that he thought about it, he could have easily written runes around the room to make sure no one heard them. It was too late for that now, though. Lucy could probably have done it as well, but it was clear that she was in no place to be using any magic when he felt her body tensing up beneath him.

He wanted to be like this with her for hours, to feel her falling apart around him until they were both unable to form a thought, let alone move. He just wanted his time with her to last. But there was one rather large issue. He was ready to spill over right then. It had been months since he'd done anything remotely close to this. Even when he was living on his own again, waiting for the day Lucy would come back home, he never indulged himself. He was already pouring sweat, and it was then that he realized he had no idea just how long he'd been slamming into her, listening to the riled up blonde as she tried to contain her pleasure.

"Freed," she panted, crying out when his hands left hers to tightly grasp her hips then ground her against him. Her whole body was wracked with violent shudders as he spread her cheeks and delved deeper. "F-Freed… O-Oh my GO-MMPH!"

"Quiet," Freed growled in her ear, his grip over her mouth tightening with each rough thrust into her. "Stay…  _nggh_ … Quiet…" His lips descended on her shoulder as he switched to full strokes, pulling himself almost completely from her dripping core only to plow back into her mercilessly. Faster and faster. Her screams vibrated through his hand and up his arm, skittering just under his flesh and sending his body into overdrive.

Lucy's eyes rolled back when Freed bit into her shoulder. His pace became frantic, and his free hand pushed under her pinned body to grasp one full breast as he wrenched her head back from the pillows. He was close, so close that he'd lost all sense of himself. She loved it when he got to this point, when he forgot all about being gentle and tender, and really went wild just before he pushed her into her own release. Her back arched slightly, and she froze. If it wasn't for his hand already over her mouth, she was sure the scream of pure ecstasy that shot from her lips would have been heard all throughout the Justine Estate as she rocketed right up into the stars.

His breath died in his throat when her sex suddenly tightened around his rigid shaft. He wanted to ride out her climax, to enjoy each and every spasm of her core, listen to how her scream tapered off into barely audible whimpers, feel the moment she suddenly melted and how her trembling hands would smooth over his scars. But he couldn't. Not this time. Just that first taste of her release, feeling just how tightly she gripped him, threw him over the edge and into pure bliss with her. His strokes slowed, hips twitching with each shot that left him, and were punctuated with low, rumbling groans.

Lucy smiled lazily as Freed's dead weight settled on top of her. Their heaving breaths mingled between them, and she watched with no small amount of amusement as his eyes creaked open only for him to realize that his hair was covering his face. She pulled one hand down from where it rested against the headboard, then awkwardly swiped the glistening green strands away. "I love you," she panted.

"And I love you," he whispered breathlessly, forcing his limp body to push off of her after one short, chaste kiss. He would have loved to lie there with her all night, but he also knew that there was one thing the sweet blonde loved almost as much as she loved him.

Lucy rolled off of the pillow beneath her and onto her back as Freed stood from the bed, watching as his hair cascaded down his back while he made his way to the bathroom. Her legs weren't cooperating in the slightest, so she simply laid there even when she heard the bath turning on through the open door. Only a minute later, her sweet fiance appeared. She watched his every move, her mouth already watering when she saw his lithe body moving closer to the bed. She hadn't gotten the opportunity to appreciate his body the way she normally did, and now… Now, she was going to take her time to do just that.

Freed leaned down and lifted the blonde into his arms, smiling down at her when she squeaked in alarm. It never ceased to amaze him, how she could stare at the scars that littered his upper body as though she couldn't get enough of them. Even with their lust fully sated, she still gazed at him with such intense hunger in her eyes. "I would say it's time for a nice bath," he whispered, a soft smile on his face that answered her wide grin.

"Definitely," she giggled. She did love baths, after all. And being with Freed in one never failed to disappoint.

* * *

It was several hours later that Freed found himself lying awake in bed as Lucy slumbered next to him. He wanted to be asleep with her, but he just couldn't force his mind to slow down enough for it to happen. At some point, she had rolled onto her back and, if he'd been asleep as well, he knew that he would have moved with her. But, he couldn't sleep. Not when he kept thinking about the mistake he'd made two months before.

He'd been so sure of himself, so sure of the truth in his feelings back then. Yes, he'd been confused about what they were supposed to do about her being pregnant, and he hadn't a clue how he would have been able to raise a child. But, as soon as he accepted that it was just the truth of his life, that they were going to be starting a family much sooner than anyone had anticipated… It was all gone.

All of the pain and loneliness that both himself and Lucy had been subjected to - due entirely to their own shortcomings in communication - were for nothing. He had hurt her deeply, for nothing. She had been afraid of his reaction to a pregnancy, thinking that he would blame it all on her, for nothing. There had never been a baby, but…

Freed rolled onto his side and gazed at the sleeping blonde. The room was almost pitch black by that point, but he could still see her well enough in the small amount of moonlight that weaseled its way in through the ceiling high window behind him. He had memorized her every feature, every soft line and gentle curve, each contour and scar. One hand slid out from beneath the blanket, and he lightly traced the line of her jaw, across her barely parted lips, up the bridge of her nose. Down the length of the scar across her face. Over her collarbones, between her breasts and down further.

Down to her perfectly taut stomach.

His hand splayed over it, rubbing slow circles as he thought about what was apparently never to come. The baby that hadn't existed in the first place. The reason he laid awake more often than not.

Freed hadn't loved that little baby, not in the slightest. But now he knew… No matter what had happened, he  _would_  have loved it. The prospect of becoming a father, a proud parent that didn't make the same mistakes his own father had made, was ripped away before he could come to the realization that he'd been wrong before. It had taken time, but he knew now. He knew it as well as he knew the runes he wrote.

Tears pricked his eyes as he gazed at her flat stomach. He wanted it to happen now, and he wished that Lucy was already pregnant. He'd been so stupid before. They both had. He'd just been so scared. And now, when he was finally able to hold the woman of his dreams in his arms, he wanted more.

Freed wanted to feel her getting larger, her stomach growing as a life they created was nurtured within her. He wanted to hear her complain about every ache and pain she had, and to tear his hair out trying to figure out how to make it better. He wanted her emotions to run rampant, to listen to her ranting and raving one minute, then sobbing the next. Freed wanted quiet days at home when she was just too tired to do much of anything. He wanted to hold her hair during her morning sickness, and get whatever she needed for her cravings - regardless of the hour or lengths he would need to go to. He wanted to hold their baby, to worry about whether he was doing it correctly, if he was changing its diaper properly, if it was too warm or too cold.

He wanted to be a father. If it was with this radiant woman, his beautiful angel, then Freed wanted it all.

"Whenever you're ready," he whispered with a nearly silent sniffle. "I am, too." He tenderly kissed her cheek, then moved so he was lying on her chest as his eyes slid closed. "I want a family with you, Lucy…"

Lucy laid completely still for a long while after Freed went silent, biting her lips to keep from making a sound as his breathing evened out. "When I'm ready," she whispered into his hair as his hand slid off of her stomach, his arm draping over her.

* * *

It was going to be an interesting day, to say the least, and she had tons of things to do. First and foremost though was waking up the sweet boy - well, young man now - so that he could be ready in time for breakfast. Mara had no clue just why Freed had disappeared for the past few months only to return, or why the group from Fairy Tail had accompanied him. There were whispers among the staff though, that Freed's departure had something to do with Avery's imprisonment (which was something that they didn't talk about where the Justines could hear).

She sighed softly and shook her head. Whatever the reason for his return, which Frances and Angela had both been extraordinarily tight-lipped about, she was happy to see Freed again. She loved the three heirs as though they were each one of her own boys. While the rest of the staff bowed and 'yes sir'-ed and 'no sir'-ed, she didn't. If they needed a firm talking to, then that was what they got. If they needed a shoulder to cry on when Frances was being a brutish oaf, then she was there for them. Avery might have been the most sensitive, but Freed had always been her favorite. Not that she would ever admit that out loud.

Silently, she opened the door to Freed's room, and moved across the space to replace the towels and gather any dirty clothing from the hamper. She didn't think there would be anything that she needed to wash just yet, but it was a habit borne from nearly forty years working for the Justines. It was when she was coming out of the bathroom with, curiously, two towels that had been used the night before, that she noticed the bed. Freed was there, with the scars on his arms and chest fully visible, since he apparently slept without a shirt now. His green hair was fanned out across the pillow and a thick lock was draped down over his chest.

That, in itself, wasn't what made her pause. No, it was the fact that there was someone else in his bed. Someone entirely familiar - in more ways than the young mage in the bed could even remember - with blonde hair and a long scar running down her face. Mara had heard from several of the maids already that Lucy was here, but seeing her right then brought back so many memories. The blonde really did resemble her mother, even more so in person. She was sure that Lucy was much like the wonderful woman that Layla had been even in her personality.  _'I can't wait to properly meet her…'_

With a tender smile, Mara turned to leave the room. She wasn't going to wake the slumbering couple. Propriety and their reputations demanded that she did, but…  _'Propriety can suck a lemon.'_ These two deserved a peaceful night, locked in a tender embrace. When she was done with the laundry, she would come back to wake them up properly, with a knock on the door to announce her presence and plenty of time for them to cover themselves up. It definitely wasn't her place to judge. She'd been young and in love once, too.

Once she reached the door to Freed's room, belatedly realizing that she'd left it open, Mara froze. There, in the doorway with his jaw hanging open, was Christophe. His gaze was trained on the couple in the bed, and she knew that he was most likely coming to let Freed know that he needed to wake up. During Freed's last week in the estate, before he'd left a few months prior, Christophe had been coming to his room more often in the mornings before leaving for his own apprenticeship.

Just as she was about to silently push the newly named heir to the Justine estate out and away from the room, she saw it. A small trickle of blood leaked from one nostril, then the other. The strangest choking sound came from Christophe just as Lucy rolled over, facing the door fully with the blanket slipping down beneath her bust. And that was when it happened. Christophe lost consciousness as a steady stream of blood shot from his nose, crumpling to the ground. And Mara screamed.

Lucy and Freed both sat up, groggy and only partially aware of their surroundings as the foreign shriek ripped through the air. Needless to say, the pair of mages in the bed woke up extremely quickly when several people piled into the room, intent on finding out just what had caused the sound.

Laxus was first, followed by Bickslow, Evergreen, Frances, and then Angela. They all stared at Christophe's prone body on the floor, then slowly lifted their gazes to the maid who was trying to rouse him.

"What happened?" Angela asked worriedly.

Freed tensed, his face flushing when the Raijinshuu looked over at the bed knowingly. His father was next, his eyes widening when he took in their state of dress.

"Freed!" Frances shouted in horror. He was torn between scolding his son and staring at the utter perfection that was Lucy's porcelain skin as she sat stone still in the spot closer to the door. "What… You…" There was one thing he was sure of by that point: Freed was a  _very_  lucky young man.

Just before his mother's worried gaze lifted, Freed pulled the blanket up to his face to cover his scars. He never wanted his mother to have to bear witness to what had happened to him.

Bickslow snickered - then grunted when Evergreen elbowed him - when he saw the Rune mage's beet red face from the nose up peeking out of the covers.

A brilliant flash of light appeared in the room, and Loke pushed his glasses up with a grin as he looked at Lucy. "My love," he crooned smoothly, "This gift of your beauty is more than I could have asked for." He slowly turned to face off against the ones that had caused Lucy to panic. "Don't worry, I'm here to protect…" Loke frowned in confusion. "... you…?"

Lucy's mouth opened and closed as she stared at her Lion spirit. She turned her wide, panicked eyes to everyone standing and staring at her and Freed in the doorway. "U-Umm…"

Angela's eyes went wide as she looked from the familiar ginger-haired man to the bed that should have only had her son lying in it. "What…" And the startling state of undress of the scarred blonde woman sitting next to her blushing son. "L-Lucy?!"

Lucy chuckled nervously, not so subtly elbowing Freed in the side to get him to say something. Anything really. This was utterly mortifying.

Bickslow looked around and grinned. Laxus was apparently extremely amused by this turn of events, as was Evergreen. The maid on the floor was still trying to get Christophe's nose to stop bleeding. Freed's parents were both trying to formulate even a single sentence between them. Lucy's face was bright red, and she looked scared out of her mind, like she'd just gotten cornered by a Vulcan. Loke looked thoroughly confused by what he'd gotten in the middle of. And Freed… He was staring off into space, his eyes wide.

It seemed the ice breaker would fall to the Seith mage. With a wide, tongue-lolling grin, Bickslow shouted, "Hey! Wouldja look at that? Lucy's wearing clothes this time!"

Lucy looked up as Bickslow's babies flew into the room and started circling her head, shouting, "This time! This time!" Maybe she'd officially lost her marbles, but she suddenly found the entire situation utterly hilarious. So hilarious, in fact that, as she started laughing hysterically, she fell out of the bed. And ended up unconsciously flashing her team, the unknown maid, the newly reawakened Christophe, and her future in-laws her blue silk panties.

Angela gasped.

Laxus, Evergreen, and Bickslow laughed.

Frances blinked and kept his gaze trained on his stunned eldest child, ignoring the blood trickling from his nose.

Loke raised a thoroughly confused brow as he watched Lucy rolling on the ground.

Mara helped Christophe sit up, then rolled her eyes when he looked at Lucy and promptly passed out again. "You men are hopeless," she whispered.

Freed fell back to the bed, covering his face and completely unaware of what the others were witnessing.

"Absolutely hopeless," Mara sighed when Frances finally dropped to the ground. It would take hours to get the blood out of the carpet.


	20. A Walk Down Memory Lane

Lucy's fingers wove through Freed's as the dishes from breakfast were cleared away by the staff. After Christophe and Frances had been roused again, with Lucy having pulled herself together long enough to sit back down on the bed and cover her body with the blanket, everyone had continued with their own preparations for the morning. There was no discussion about what had transpired, and all she could think was that maybe her future in-laws were just going to let it slide. At least she'd had clothes on. She had no idea what would have happened if she'd been completely naked.

Conversation had been, thankfully, easy during their meal. The Raijinshuu and Christophe spoke while Frances and Angela sat in silence. Lucy really didn't think too much of it, considering she did remember that her parents were usually silent during breakfast as well. It just felt like they were a big family though. That the members of Fairy Tail that had pulled Christophe under their wing and had really accepted him. The smile on Freed's face when he saw how well Bickslow and the others were getting along with his once-younger brother was proof enough of that.

Now though, they were all waiting for the meeting that Frances was going to start. She noticed he was tense, and that there was just the smallest glimmer of hurt in Angela's eyes when she looked at the cup of tea that was still in front of her. Lucy had no idea just what it was about, but she was definitely curious.

Frances took a deep breath, then cleared his throat to gather the attention of the young mages, and Christophe, seated around the table. They were definitely a lively bunch, that much he was sure of, and he could see just how much life both Lucy and Freed's team had brought to his once eldest son's eyes and his smile.  _'I see now,'_  he thought.  _'What Jude tried to tell me before…'_

"Yes, father?" Christophe asked softly.

"I am sure you are all wondering just what has possessed me to request your presence," Frances said slowly, his hands folding on the table. "I would like to give you something that was stolen from you. Something that should never have been taken in the first place."

Freed blinked and his brow furrowed. "Stolen?"

Frances nodded and forced himself to meet his son's gaze. "Yes. Before I give it to you, however, I must apologize." He looked to Lucy for a moment. "To both of you. It was my stupidity, and Jude's, that tore the two of you apart. And the way I raised you three boys did nothing to help matters. I hope that you can find it in yourselves to forgive me for what I've had a hand in doing, for the pain I have caused you both."

Lucy smiled softly at the look of remorse on the older man's face. "I forgive you, Frances."

Freed nodded. "As do I."

Frances shook his head, then looked to the far corner of the room where Marcus stood. With an almost imperceptible nod, the butler came closer with a wooden box held in his gloved hands. "I doubt you will feel so forgiving after…" He shook his head again once the box was set on the table in front of him, then removed a key from the inner pocket of his suit jacket and unlocked it.

Everyone leaned forward slightly when the box was turned to face them, baring five cloudy grey glass orbs nestled in crushed red velvet lining.

"I am not the only one that's guilty of hurting their children by doing what they thought at one point was the right thing to do," Frances sighed. "Jude was just as guilty of this as I am. The only difference is…" He paused and shook his head before turning his gaze to Lucy. "Jude realized the mistake we had made well before I did. It seems that losing his business returned him to the man he once was, the man I had befriended. That, and… Losing you."

"Me?" Lucy whispered.

"Yes. He loved you dearly, Lucy. When all of you disappeared on that island, he was distraught. The happiness you should have had this whole time had been taken away because of our idiocy, our selfishness."

"But, how would you know any of that?" Laxus asked skeptically. "No offense, but you don't really seem like you'd associate with a guy that wasn't rich like you."

Frances gave the hulking blonde that sat next to Lucy a sad smile. "You are correct in that, but… Jude came to me before he died. I would have turned him away, too. But… When I heard that he was dying, and that it was important, that it was about Lucy and Freed, I couldn't tell him no. We were best friends once."

"You…" Lucy took a shallow, shaky breath, feeling Freed's other hand closing over the one that was already clasped with his. "You s-saw my dad?"

"Yes. I… Well…" He let out a soft sigh and shook his head. He seemed to be doing it a lot as of late, but he realized a great many mistakes that he'd made since Lucy came to collect Freed from the estate. Pulling one of the five orbs from the box, he lifted it into the air and brushed his thumb over it twice. A gentle pulsing light spilled from it as the orb floated into the air, and the foggy grey coloring slowly leaked out to fill the air around them.

Lucy's breath caught in her throat when the fog cleared in a large circle and showed her father. Just as he'd been before he died, she assumed. His hair was longer than she remembered it, and his facial hair wasn't as well kept. There was a deep sadness in his eyes as he looked at the recording lacrima, along with years of what she could tell was hard work. "D-Dad..." Lucy whispered to herself, not noticing the way everyone looked from the image of Jude Heartfilia to the blonde with tears already welling in her eyes.

Jude laughed good-naturedly as he adjusted the lacrima. "I've always hated these silly things. They never work properly…" His eyes softened when a woman laughed and adjusted it again. "Thank you, Nurse Anne. I don't want my daughter to be looking up my nose the whole time."

Lucy let out a watery laugh.

Jude's eyes returned to the lacrima, and he smiled softly. "Lucy. If you're watching this, then I really didn't make it until you returned. I've been holding out hope for seven years now, and I don't doubt for a minute that you and your friends will come back one day. I don't care what anyone else says. Your guild is far stronger than most are willing to give you credit for, but I've seen it firsthand."

His words were cut off as he started coughing, then he let out a soft sigh. "If you're seeing this, Lucy, then it also means that Frances has finally come to his senses, just I have. I'm not sure if he'll have told you and Freed what happened, or why we did this, but I'd like to tell you now." He smiled widely. "And, if you've already heard it, then you can just humor me and let me get this story out. You might be the author, but this old coot of a father is where you got it from, young lady."

Lucy laughed again with everyone around her joining in. She couldn't remember her father ever having acted like this. How open and happy he seemed was like a dream come true. Honestly, it stung quite a bit to know that this was what she had missed out on by being stuck on Tenrou. She had missed out on his smiles and laughs, this sense of humor she'd never known he had. There was so much, Lucy realized, that she didn't really know about her father. And she wouldn't ever get the chance to know any of it now. He'd been gone for so long already.

"A long time ago," Jude began, "Frances and I were the best of friends. We met when Layla and I were just starting the business that you grew up with. There wasn't much to my name, and Frances seemed like he was from the other side of the tracks, so to speak. The better side. I envied him many things, because things came so easily to him. Still, we had so many things in common that it was hard not to become as close as we did. His wife, Angela, and Layla had much the same connection. In fact, Layla was pregnant with you while Angela was pregnant with Christophe. You two were born within a couple weeks of one another." He chuckled softly. "We almost considered trying to have you two engaged with a contract, because we thought your age would make it easier for you to get along."

While the recording played, Frances pulled two of the orbs from the box and handed them to Freed and Lucy. He had listened to the beginning of this recording a few times now, so he knew that there would be enough of a pause while Jude started coughing for him to give them a brief explanation. Just as he knew it would, the coughing started. "This is what was stolen," Frances said softly. "Your memories of the past you share. Brush your fingers across it twice. You're the only ones that can access them…"

Freed and Lucy glanced at one another curiously, then brushed their fingers over the cloudy surfaces of their respective orbs. Just as Jude's coughing stopped, with the image of a nurse helping him drink a glass of water dimming slightly, the orbs shot up into the air and exploded into millions of glittering pieces.

Laxus' eyes went wide as hundreds of images swirled in the air above them, seemingly running backwards in time and showing both Freed and Lucy getting younger and younger.

Lucy's grip on Freed's hand tightened as the images converged and stopped swirling around and around.

"Many years passed," Jude continued finally, though the image of him in the air had faded into the background and was overtaken by what was bringing the two young lovers to tears. "And you became friends with Freed. You brought the Justine boys closer together by making sure they all spent time together, but Freed was your best friend.

* * *

_X769_

_A five-year-old Freed sat on the floor of the sitting room, stacking blocks on top of one another with a two-year-old Lucy sitting next to him. Their parents talked in the background, with his mother bouncing the newborn Avery in her arms while Christophe took a nap, but he had no idea what they were saying. She slowly settled two blocks that were already stacked on top of his castle, and he smiled when a little giggle left her. "Come with me," he whispered._

_The blonde gleefully grabbed onto his outstretched hand, and Freed led her through the halls to the library. "This is my favorite place in the whole world," he said while leading her to the enormous couch. "Stay here, and I'll get some books. Okay?"_

_Lucy giggled again and waited on the floor, her small fingers fiddling with a block that she'd brought with her. Freed returned, his arms filled with colorful books, and carefully set them down next to her. "You don't rip pages, do you?"_

_Lucy giggled again and grabbed one of the books. "Pwetty pages!" she said while showing it to the green-haired boy. "Wead?"_

_Freed smiled and took a seat next to the blonde, pulling the book from her hands. "Once upon a time," he said softly as he held the book so she could see the pictures, "There was a princess in a tower…"_

_His young voice faded and the memory moved faster until Lucy yawned. Freed smiled down at the girl and pulled a throw pillow from the couch, along with a blanket, and helped her lie down against his leg. He continued reading to her while she fell asleep, unaware of his parents and hers standing in the doorway with smiles on their faces._

* * *

 

"You were inseparable after that first day in the library," Jude said, the reminiscent smile showing through in his voice. "Your noses were always in books, and you both wanted so much knowledge. There was something about your friendship, how quickly it happened and how much you two seemed to care for one another, that we just loved to watch. We never thought you would be as close as you were..."

* * *

_X771_

_Lucy turned bright eyes up from her book when her best friend, now seven, set his pen down on the table with a triumphant grin. "Did you finish it?" she asked._

_Freed nodded and slid the paper to the blonde sitting next to him. "I think this secret code is pretty good. Christophe and Avery should have a lot of fun with it."_

_Lucy laughed. "It's beautiful. How does it work?"_

_Freed pointed to the letters. "Take the original letter, and turn it to the right. Then flip it up so they're sitting back to back." He traced the first letter. "Then take the letter, how it's supposed to be, and turn it left, then write that in the middle."_

" _That's amazing," Lucy whispered with a wide smile. She turned to look at him excitedly. "Will you write something so I can figure it out?"_

_She waited while he grabbed another piece of paper, then watched as he wrote a small note. Once it was set before her, and the pen was in her hand, Lucy slowly deciphered the message without the key - because he took it away to make it harder._

_She laughed and rested her head on his shoulder. "Lucy is the best," she read softly._

_Freed waited while she wrote something back to him, then took the pen and decoded the message with a smile on his face. His head rested on top of hers as he read, "Lucy and Freed. Friends forever."_

* * *

Bickslow blinked back the tears in his eyes and slowly removed his visor to wipe away the few strays that had leaked down onto his cheeks. None of them had known just how long Lucy and Freed knew each other, but there was just something that hadn't added up when they were told about the marriage contract after the fact. Lucy had said that her spirits wouldn't explain why she couldn't remember her parents ever talking about it before, but now it made sense.

The reason her soul had reacted the way it did when Freed was taken made sense to him now. They had always known each other, in some way, and there was nothing that would keep them apart. He just couldn't understand why these memories were being showed to them now. Why couldn't the two remember each other?  _'What the hell did their parents do?'_

Jude sighed softly. "You always helped one another. No matter how trivial it was, everything was so monumental for the two of you because you were so young. We loved watching you learn as you grew older. And we loved seeing you learn to love one another. We saw it well before you did…"

* * *

_X772_

_Freed sighed in frustration as he sat next to Lucy in the library at the Heartfilia estate. They were working together on their studies, with him going through his math exercises while Lucy continued working on reading. Their parents were sitting at the next table, with Jude and Frances reviewing contracts for their companies._

" _Is everything alright?" Lucy asked._

_He shook his head, then blew his shoulder length hair from in front of his eyes. "No…"_

_She turned to look at him, then laughed when she saw the ink spot on his sleeve. "Silly Freed…"_

_He turned when she pulled his hands away from the desk, watching as they were placed on her shoulders. She rolled up the sleeves, then he felt his cheeks heating up as she tucked his hair behind his ear._

" _I don't think you'll ever remember to keep your sleeves and hair out of the way."_

_He grinned then. "But that's why I've got you with me, Lucy. You always help take care of me."_

_Lucy nodded happily, another bell-like laugh spilling from her lips. Her eyes suddenly grew brighter. "Will you teach me what you're learning?"_

" _Of course!"_

* * *

Freed had never been able to remember just when he'd started doing that, rolling up his sleeves and tucking his hair behind his ear. It had seemed like he'd always done it, and he thought that maybe he had picked it up from someone. A tutor, maybe. But, as he watched the memory with Lucy by his side, he felt it. This was the truth. Mara hadn't been lying, not that he'd ever thought she would do that. He could feel it click into place, and the thought that the habit that was now second nature to him coming from someone else dissipated. He knew it was from Lucy, that she was the one that always helped him with silly little things like this. He just couldn't understand why his father would have this. Why would their memories have been taken away from them?  _'I don't understand…'_

"Time and time again, no matter what, you helped each other to learn and grow." Jude's fond laughter was halted by another cough. "There was no doubt in any of our minds about that. You and Freed were clearly meant for one another."

* * *

_X773_

_A wide grin split Freed's lips as he clutched the weathered, ancient book tightly to his chest. He dashed through the library, on a mission to greet the six-year-old blonde that was on her way. Excitement had bubbled up in him and he nearly dropped his pen twice before tucking it, and his hair, behind his ear._

_The door to the library opened, and Freed's steps quickened until he rounded a corner and skidded to a breathless halt in front of Lucy and her mother. "Freed!" Lucy giggled. "What are you doing, running in the library?"_

_He shook his head and laughed as he set the book down on the table, not noticing the curious gleam in Layla's eyes while he bowed respectfully. Once he was upright, he waited only another moment before closing the distance between them and wrapping his arms around his best friend's mother. "Hello, Miss Layla. I missed you."_

_Layla laughed softly, her arms wrapping around the young boy's shoulders. "I missed you as well, Freed. We couldn't keep Lucy away though. She was begging to come over again."_

_After a few minutes, the two children were left alone in the library, and Freed grabbed the book and Lucy's hand, then nearly dragged her to the couch. "I found something amazing," he whispered, the sheer excitement showing through in his voice and nearly leaking from his pores._

" _What is it?" she asked curiously._

" _This book." He slowly opened it and brushed the dust from the pages while turning it to the bookmarked page. "It's a book on Rune magic. It's all about languages and rules and… And… It's just…"_

" _Wow! Freed this looks really hard!"_

_He shook his head then. "Not really. It's fun! You get to make all these rules and write runes for things. Like…" He hummed in thought, then snapped his fingers and turned to another page. "Here. There's a spell for putting magic into your eyes!"_

_Lucy's eyes dashed from one side to another while she skimmed through the text, then her brow furrowed when she looked at him again. "I don't get it."_

_Freed laughed and glanced at the door, then brushed his bangs away from his face and activated the small bit of magic he had. He watched as Lucy's eyes flashed with wonder, then settled his hair back in place. "Rune magic needs a pen or something to write with until you get really good at it," he said while pointing to the page she had been reading. "But this… It makes it so you don't have to use anything to write if you don't want to. It makes it part of you!"_

_Lucy's lips turned up into a smile, slowly widening until she was grinning. "That's amazing! My mom's keys have to be on her, or she can't use her magic…" She paused, then glanced at the door as well. "But, don't tell anyone I said that. She told me it was a secret."_

_Freed nodded. "Do you want me to do it for you, too? We could use the same magic!" When the blonde nodded, her hair bouncing wildly, he pulled the pen from behind his ear. "This is what I used," he said softly. "It's a magic pen that was on a shelf. It helps pull magic out of you when you're writing runes with it."_

_Lucy slowly laid herself down on the couch, smiling up at Freed when he lowered the pen to hover just over her left eye._

" _Stay still, okay?" Freed whispered after making sure his sleeves her rolled up and his hair was out of his face. "It looks really weird, but I won't hurt you."_

" _I trust you, Freed," she answered. Silence reigned in the library while he worked, and Lucy fought the urge to blink. Once the pen was pulled away, she blinked repeatedly and carefully sat up while he wiped his brow with a handkerchief. "Did it work?"_

_Freed pulled the blonde to her feet and led her to a large mirror on the opposite side of the library. He pushed his hair away and activated his magic while looking at her matching brown eyes, then grinned when she visibly tried to use the magic within her and her left eye slowly changed color. The white part of her eye became black, and her iris and pupil turned a beautiful shade of purple. Just like his right eye. "Now," he whispered while holding her hand, "You'll always have a part of me with you. No matter what."_

_Lucy turned to look at the green-haired boy, then lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him. "You're so sweet, Freed! Thank you!" She pulled back a moment later. "Do you know any spells?"_

_Freed nodded and grinned as their eyes went back to normal. He led her to the door when he heard a maid calling for them. "Reflect," he whispered, his arm looping through hers. "Next time we're alone, I'll teach it to you. It's so much fun…"_

* * *

_Lucy giggled with her hands held out in front of her. "Reflect!" Pale purple light shot out and wrapped around Freed where he stood in front of her, a proud grin on his face._

" _Perfect!" Freed took a step forward, watching as the bubble surrounding him followed before disappearing. "Let's try a new one. I can't do it by myself yet."_

_Lucy nodded and followed his lead as he grabbed her hands. Their fingers laced together and were filling the small space between them, and she looked into his changed right eye. "Now what?"_

" _Picture a bubble," Freed whispered. "And let's make it silent."_

_Lucy nodded as he counted to three, then they said in unison, "Silence."_

_Purple light flashed in the room for the briefest of moments, and the children turned with wide eyes and brilliant smiles to see the walls covered in translucent purple light._

* * *

"It was like you were in your own little bubble," Jude laughed. "We trusted you to care for one another, so we ended up breaking quite a few conventions of high society when one family visited the other. We let the two of you play unattended, just as I had done, and just as Layla had done, when we were children."

Lucy turned to look at Freed, the opacity of her eye patch shifting until it was transparent. She sniffled softly when he reached up and lightly traced just beneath her eye. One that was now permanently different. She could remember the little details so much more clearly, each of them settling within her and making her feel as though she was finally whole again. Freed's magic had always been with her, not just from the day she had saved him, when Ansa slashed her face open with his sword. But…  _'Why is it like this now, when I could change it back before?'_

Angela gasped as she looked at Lucy and her son, seeing for the first time that Lucy's eye was, in fact, identical to how it had been in that memory of theirs, with the exception of her pupil being slitted now.  _'I don't understand… What is all of this?'_  There were so many things she hadn't been aware of before, and now… Now she wanted answers.

* * *

_X774_

_Lucy's legs kicked back and forth while she sat next to Freed on a bench. They looked out across the gardens behind her home, and she sighed happily. "I want to join Fairy Tail," she said quietly, making sure none of the staff that might have been around could hear her. "Will you come with me? When we're older?"_

" _Fairy Tail?" he asked. "What's that?"_

" _Mama told me about mage guilds. She said that's the name of the guild she would have joined if she didn't stop using magic all the time."_

_Freed smiled and carefully held her right hand in his left. "A mage guild…" After a silent minute, he nodded. "I will go anywhere you would like, Lucy. We'll always be together, and if that's what you want… Then yes." After another moment's hesitation, he asked, "Will we get guild marks?"_

_Lucy looked down at their joined hands and lightly squeezed. "Here," she whispered with a small laugh. "You should get one to match your hair!"_

_Freed smirked at the blonde. "Maybe I will. I bet yours will be pink."_

" _Of course! It's my favorite color!"_

_He sniffed petulantly. "I thought green was your favorite."_

_Lucy giggled and tickled his side, following as he jolted and tried to scoot away. "Only on you, silly."_

* * *

Freed let out a small chuckle as he looked down at where his hand was clasped with Lucy's. Had everything about them really come from their past? He had originally decided to get his guild mark on his hand, when he joined the guild, because it had just felt like the right place to put it. There had been no explanation for it at the time,and he never really put any thought behind it. Something in his gut had told him that was where it was meant to be. And now… Now he knew why.

It had really been Lucy all along.

'We let you dream, and laugh, and just be young. As free as you could be while living in such a confined life. It was what Layla and I were adamant about. We didn't want high society to make you jaded, Lucy."

* * *

_X774_

" _The end," Lucy said with a flourish._

" _You have quite the imagination," Freed laughed. "I wasn't aware bullfrogs could have quite so many adventures with mice."_

_She grinned and leaned back on the couch in the library at Freed's home. "It's too bad you're the only one that hears my stories."_

" _Christophe and Avery do, as well," he mused. "However…" He paused and a small smile played across his lips. Slowly, he grabbed her hand and led the blonde through the library, then stopped in front of the fiction section. "You could always write books like these. Then everyone can enjoy them!"_

_Lucy blushed and looked down at her feet. "I don't know… Do you think I should?"_

" _Definitely," Freed nodded, his face serious. "You're a great storyteller."_

_She nibbled her lip indecisively. "M-Maybe I will," she whispered, a smile slowly forming while she looked back up into his deep green eyes. "I'll be an author one day."_

" _What will you write about?"_

_Her head rested against his shoulder while she clutched herself to his arm. "Our adventures as mages. Everything we do in Fairy Tail."_

* * *

 

"We wanted your innocence to stay intact, to see that twinkle in your eyes when you woke up in the morning, or when you thought of a silly story that made no sense to us." The wistful tone of Jude's voice brought the tears in Lucy's eyes streaming down her cheeks. "Because we could never see just how vast your imagination was."

* * *

_X775_

_Lucy wished Christophe a happy birthday as he dashed past her, chasing Avery with a fake sword. Her eighth birthday had just passed, and she slowly walked through the gardens of the Justine estate with her hand placed in the crook of Freed's elbow. Because lunch was already finished, they had some time before the adults would come to collect them, before they needed to be on their best behavior for the dinner party Frances was holding._

_Freed smiled down at Lucy while he waited for her to take a seat near a fountain, then took his place next to her. Instantly, their eyes were drawn to the clouds. "I see a book."_

_Lucy lifted a gloved hand and traced the clouds as she said, "There's a dragon."_

" _Flowers."_

" _A rabbit."_

" _Lightning bolts."_

" _Where?"_

" _Over there," Freed laughed, pointing to the odd-shaped cloud formation. "I love lightning."_

" _I heard there was a lightning mage in Fairy Tail," Lucy sighed, blushing when Freed held her and like he always did. "He's supposed to be related to the guild master."_

" _Is that so?" When Lucy nodded, he grinned down at her. "Well, I hope we get to meet him one day. I would love to understand his magic."_

* * *

Laxus blinked away the tears in his bright blue eyes. No way in hell was he going to cry over this. He knew that Bickslow and Evergreen were already well on their way to bawling. Lucy and Freed had been crying since the start - which was understandable under the circumstances. Frances looked so fucking ashamed of himself, and Angela… He didn't know what to make of her. Christophe just looked… Well, he looked so lost and guilty. Did that mean maybe he had something to do with all of this?

Regardless of that, Laxus couldn't let himself get overly emotional. Even though he realized that this was the moment, when Freed was only eleven and Lucy was eight, that the two had first talked about him. The first time his best friend had shown any interest in who he was, and it wasn't based on anything more than wanting to know more about his magic. Not his family, or anything else. Freed had never cared about shit like that. He wanted knowledge, to understand the world around him better than he did before.

Add onto that, his baby sister, the blonde that he'd taken as kin, knew about him when she was so young. He didn't know how or why, but something about that fact had his heart warming. He'd been so lost back then, but here these two were, hoping to one day meet him. Wishing that they could get away from the stuffy high society life, just to come to the guild. To the place they all called home now.

Laxus found himself looking down at his hand when Lucy's slender, strong fingers closed over his, then up to her shining eyes. And the dam broke as soon as she smiled at him. As soon as he heard her whisper, "I love you, Big Brother."

Jude sighed heavily. "You would come to us in tears sometimes, because of what Frances did to Freed. And all we could do was hold you, and say that Freed wouldn't leave you behind. That Frances would never hurt him too badly…"

* * *

_X775_

_Lucy wrapped her arms around Freed once they were standing in the hallway alone. A small whimper and the way he flinched had her pulling back with a frown on her face. "What happened?" she asked worriedly._

_Freed pulled her to him again, burying his face in the crook of her neck. He couldn't see the look in her eyes. He could never stand it when she looked like she was about to cry. "Avery got in trouble for playing a prank on Marcus," he whispered. "I-I stepped in for him, and said I did it…"_

" _Freed…"_

" _I'm okay," he whispered. "Just a few bruises. I-I'll be alright…" Slowly, he moved her arms that were hanging limply at her sides, and put them over his shoulders. "It doesn't hurt here."_

_Lucy hugged him tightly when the first small cry crawled up her throat._

" _Please don't cry. I'm okay, Lucy."_

" _B-But he… Wh-Why would your dad hurt you?"_

" _He says it's to teach us a lesson. I don't understand it either, but… I won't let Avery get hurt if I can help it."_

_Lucy pulled away and waited as Freed swiped his thumbs over her cheeks. Their foreheads pressed together for only a moment before she grabbed his hand and led him down the hall. To the music room._

_Freed smiled and sat down at the piano bench with the blonde. He brought his hands to the keys and started the rolling bass line for 'Heart and Soul', waiting for Lucy to play along._

_Slowly, her sadness melted away with each note they played together. She found herself laughing at Freed's astounded expression when she started improvising. Without looking at the keys, and letting whatever her fingers did of their own accord just flow from her, Lucy looked to her best friend. "I'll always protect you, Freed," she whispered. "I promise."_

_Freed smiled. "You're an angel, Lucy."_

* * *

A soft laugh spilled past Jude's lips. "But Freed protected you too. You always took care of one another, just like friends are supposed to do."

Angela blotted her tears away, studiously ignoring the man she'd married that was sitting right next to her. She knew very well just what he'd done to their children over the years, the harsh punishments and everything else. It had never been easy, living with Frances. Except for the times when Lucy and her parents were around.  _'I've missed Layla so much…'_

* * *

_X775_

_Lucy led Freed through the gardens, then out to a less tended portion of the property. A tall, marble fountain, covered in vines stood proudly in a little copse of trees. It was only visible if you really looked, which she had while exploring one day. The water was perfectly crystalline. As clear as could be._

_Freed watched in wonder as Lucy snuck a golden key out of her bodice and dipped it into the water. The liquid swirled violently while she called out the incantation, then shot up into a pillar and slowly fell back into the fountain once a blue-haired mermaid appeared. "Wow…"_

" _Aquee, this is Freed Justine," Lucy said politely. "Freed, this is Aquarius. She's Mama's friend, but I'm allowed to use her key sometimes."_

" _You're…" Freed shook his head with wide eyes. "You're a Celestial Spirit…"_

_Aquarius smiled tenderly and placed her urn on the edge of the fountain while taking a seat, letting her tail swish lazily in the shallow water. "I am."_

" _This is amazing…"_

_Lucy giggled. "Yeah, Aquee's my favorite. She plays games with me in the bath sometimes." She paused and pushed out her lower lip. "Unless she's on a date with her boyfriend."_

_Aquarius laughed and patted her blonde hair. "Well, spirits have lives of their own, Lulu. Don't forget that, okay?" When Lucy nodded, she looked down to see that Freed's hand was tenderly holding Lucy's. "You know… I think you would make a great husband for my little Lulu."_

_Freed and Lucy blushed profusely._

" _Promise to take care of her, Freed?" Aquarius asked firmly._

_All of the embarrassment Freed had been feeling dissipated in an instant. His eyes hardened and his face turned serious. "You have my word, Aquarius. I will always take care of Lucy."_

* * *

"And then everything changed…" Jude sighed again, his tone somber. "I'm sorry that this happened, Lucy. And I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive both Frances and myself for causing you so much grief."

* * *

_X776_

_Lucy made her way to the library as soon as her parents gave her leave to find Freed. She knew exactly where he would be. What she hadn't expected was to find him kneeling in front of the fireplace with tears steadily streaming down his tormented twelve-year-old face. "Freed," she gasped. "What happened?"_

" _F-Father burned it," he whimpered, still staring at the roaring fire and the blackened pages within it. "My rune book… H-He found me reading it before you came and… A-And he…" A sob bubbled up as her arms wrapped around him. "It was my f-favorite one…"_

" _Shh," she whispered, pulling his head to her chest and removing her gloves to run her fingers through his hair. "It was just a book, Freed."_

" _B-But… That's the one with our eye magic in it," he cried. "H-He said… He said magic was a waste of time!"_

" _Your dad is wrong. Magic is amazing, and wonderful. Look at all the things you've done with it."_

" _B-But…"_

_Lucy shook her head, slowly rocking her crying friend from one side to the other. "No, Freed. I love your magic. It's beautiful, and it makes you want to learn more and more. No one could do it as well as you do."_

_He sniffled loudly, allowing himself to cry in her arms for as long as he needed. Eventually, his tears slowed, and he let out a shaky breath while he felt her fingers dancing along his scalp. "I love it when you do that…"_

_Lucy smiled softly into the green strands just in front of her face. "I'll do it for as long as you'll let me, Freed."_

_"You have my permission to touch my hair whenever you wish, Lucy," Freed whispered with a grin. He shifted and pulled Lucy down to properly sit on the floor next to him - instead of kneeling in front of him - and kept his head against her shoulder. "You're the best friend I could ever ask for…"_

* * *

"When Frances found out that Freed was using magic, he was furious. He didn't want to believe that his son would do something like that, so he burnt that book. Frances told me to make sure there were no books on magic in my home, because if there were, then Freed wouldn't be allowed to come over anymore. He didn't want his son associating with magic at such a young age."

Frances felt everyone's eyes turning to him, the mages from Fairy Tail nearly burning him with the intensity in their gazes. He had been such a fool before. He'd known just how important that book was to his son, because the boy had begged him not to. Freed had been on his knees, pleading desperately for his father to just spare that book. And he hadn't listened.

* * *

_X776_

_Lucy bit her lip nervously while she walked down the hall to Freed's bedroom from where she'd slept the night before. She ducked behind a slightly opened door when she saw Marcus making his way out of Freed's room, then tightened her grip on the package in her arms. Once he was out of sight, she ran as quickly as possible to her friend's bedroom and closed the door behind her._

_He wasn't there, but she knew he was still getting ready in the bathroom. So, Lucy took a seat on his already made bed and set the package on her lap. A minute passed before Freed left the bathroom, fully dressed and ready to head down to breakfast._

_Freed's eyes went wide when he saw Lucy sitting on his bed, but he still smiled when he took a seat next to the blonde and she hugged him. "Good morning, Lucy."_

" _Happy birthday, Freed," Lucy whispered happily. She pulled back and placed the wrapped package in his hands. "Open it now, before we go down, okay?"_

_He nodded and tore the paper, his smile widening into a large grin while tears formed in his eyes. "M-My favorite book…" There, in his hands, was the exact book that his father had burnt a month prior. The one that he had found that taught him about runes and that held the Eye magic he and Lucy shared._

_Lucy squeaked when he dropped the book to the bed and turned to hug her as tightly as he could manage._

" _Thank you, Lucy. Thank you so much!"_

_She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. "I saw it in the library at home. Daddy won't miss it. It was so dusty that I was sneezing for the whole day."_

" _You're the best friend anyone could ask for," Freed whispered, his voice thick with the emotions swelling in him. "You always know how to make me smile, Lucy."_

_Lucy giggled and innocently kissed his cheek. "That's because I love you, Freed."_

_Freed blushed while he sat back and smiled at her. He slowly lifted the book and brushed his fingers over the cover, then moved to hide it under his mattress. As he stood, he took Lucy's hand and tucked it into the crook of his elbow as he led her to the door. "I love you too, Lucy."_

* * *

A soft smile found its way onto Freed's face as the memory of that day, his thirteenth birthday, settled into him. He still had that book at home, sitting among his hundreds of tomes on magic. It was one of the few things he'd taken with him when he left home to join Fairy Tail. He'd thought it was just a book he'd found in the library and had been lucky enough to keep hidden from his father. Was that what had happened to him? Were his memories just taken and augmented? Everything concerning Lucy being in his life before was gone, and his mind had been tampered with. But for what?

"That was when he found out that Layla used to be a mage. That she still had her keys and hardly used them. Frances wasn't happy about it, but when your mother got sick… I found you using her keys too. I was too distraught by the thought of losing your mother. I blamed Freed for your interest in magic, refusing to see that you were just taking after Layla, and keeping a part of her with you. I couldn't see that it was natural talent that you'd inherited from her, and not some silly little hobby." Jude let out a soft sigh. "I was so stupid…"

* * *

_X776_

" _I love it when you play 'The Tempest', Freed," Lucy hummed while she sat on an armchair next to the piano, listening to the final notes of the song as he turned to smile at her._

" _It's your turn," Freed said. "Have you finished writing that song for your mother?"_

_Lucy sighed and sat down next to him. "No. I can't figure out how to end it. It just keeps…"_

" _Looping?"_

_She nodded, then started to play the introduction, just the high notes with her right hand. "Do you think you could help me?"_

_Freed nodded, watching as Lucy lifted her left hand and started the running bass line. Up and down, the haunting tones filled him. His eyes slid closed at the same time as hers, just listening and hoping to find something that could help the blonde draw it to a close. Finally, his eyes opened and he gently placed his hands over hers. "Maybe…"_

_Lucy turned bright and hopeful eyes up to him. "Maybe?"_

" _Maybe… It doesn't need an ending," Freed whispered. "It's for your mother, after all. Why should it end?" He let out a soft smile when he saw the sadness flash in Lucy's eyes. "She'll get better, Lucy. I'm sure of it."_

_She nodded slowly, looking down at where he held her hands. "Maybe you're right, Freed. Maybe… I shouldn't end it. Mama will get better, so…"_

" _Exactly," Freed said as he wrapped an arm around her slender shoulders. "Would you like to dance with me? Father said there is a party coming up, and I need to practice so I don't embarrass the family."_

_Lucy nodded, her smile slowly losing its sad quality as he turned on the record player in the corner of the music room. She took his hand once he returned to her side and followed as he led her to the center of the room._

_Freed felt heat rising to his cheeks when Lucy smiled up at him as they got into position. Slowly, they started to move. And then he stumbled._

_Lucy giggled when he stepped on her toes. After a quick mumbled apology from the boy, they started again. And he stumbled again. "You really are a bad dancer, Freed," she laughed._

" _No," he grumbled. "Boys are supposed to lead, and you're trying to do it."_

_She frowned at that. "Girls can lead, too. Let me teach you."_

_He sniffed petulantly. "No. I know what I'm doing."_

" _A gentleman would at least consider what a lady says," Lucy huffed, "Instead of just ignoring her."_

_Freed blinked when she pulled away from him, crossing her arms over her chest. "Lucy?"_

" _No, you're being mean. I bet you're going to dance with other girls at this party, so maybe I shouldn't teach you. That way you can step all over their toes, too!"_

" _Lucy…" Freed frowned when she turned sad eyes to him. "I don't want to dance with other girls. Just you."_

" _Promise?"_

_Freed nodded, smiling hopefully. "Will you teach me? You can lead every time we dance."_

_Lucy's eyes finally softened and she moved back into position. "Fine," she grumbled. "But only because you're really really bad at this. And I don't want you getting in trouble."_

_Freed bit his lower lip in concentration while they started to dance, letting Lucy take the lead and show him what he was supposed to do. "Why is this so hard?"_

" _Because you think too much," she laughed. She pulled him to a stop, then grabbed his shoulders and roughly shook them. "Loosen up, Freed. Gimme a good wiggle."_

" _I do not wiggle, Lucy."_

" _You need to."_

" _No."_

" _Who's teaching whom, here?"_

_Freed grinned. "Well, if you're going to use 'whom'... I guess I'll have to wiggle."_

_Lucy laughed when Freed did just as she'd asked, wiggling his whole body and letting his arms flail wildly. "Perfect!" She moved back into position when he blew his hair out of his eyes and grinned down at her, then carefully tucked his hair behind his ear. "Ready now?" she whispered._

_Freed nodded. He bit his lip in concentration again as they moved, then looked up to Lucy's face from his feet in surprise when she flicked him right between the eyes._

" _My face is up here, Freed. If you look at your feet, then I won't have any by the time I'm ten. You'll stomp them right off." When he pouted, she rolled her eyes with a tender smile. "Don't think, silly."_

" _That's impossible."_

" _Fine, then don't think about dancing."_

" _But that's what we're doing…"_

_Lucy sighed and shook her head. "This is going to take a while," she giggled._

* * *

"Things got worse, but we did everything we could to keep it from you. I told Frances that any differences between us shouldn't be taken out on the two of you, when you were so innocent. You didn't know any better, and we just needed to make sure you didn't continue down that path."

Laxus smirked at the deep flush on Freed's face. It was no secret to the Raijinshuu that he was actually a horrible dancer. There wasn't a single rhythmical bone in the Rune mage's body that was capable of moving in time to the music. No matter what type of music it was. He was more than graceful, but put him on a dance floor… It was painful.

"I am not that bad now," Freed whispered when Lucy giggled.

"Yeah," Lucy laughed. "You really are, sweetie." His grip on her hand tightened for a moment and she looked over to see a fond smile pulling up his tear-stained cheeks. "I'm still willing to teach you, though."

Jude let out a heavy sigh, his voice still carrying through the room. "We were idiots, Lucy… We should have realized the potential that was in the two of you, and we should have nurtured it. You were both so smart…"

* * *

_X776_

_Lucy frowned as she sat on the picnic blanket beneath her favorite tree, glaring at the grin on Freed's face. "I give up. What's the longest word in the dictionary?"_

_His grin stretched even further. "Smiles."_

" _Huh? No it's not. Porcupine is longer than smiles…"_

" _There's a 'mile' between each 's'."_

_Lucy blinked slowly. "That…" Slowly, she smiled. "Do you have any idea how many words I was thinking of?"_

" _Yes."_

_She giggled then. "One day I'll outsmart you, Freed!"_

_Freed laughed and held a strawberry up to her lips as a peace offering. While she took a bite, he whispered, "I'm sure you will, Lucy. If anyone could do it, it's you."_

* * *

"Oh my god," Evergreen cooed while blotting the tears from her eyes. "Freed, you were adorable!"

"Yeah, what happened?" Bickslow chuckled before sniffling.

"Nothing," Freed answered. "I am still just as precious."

Christophe hid his laughter behind a cough, earning a playful glare from his brother. "I would not use precious to describe you, Freed."

"Then what word-"

"Nerd," the rest of the room, his parents included, said in unison.

Freed's mouth clamped shut and Lucy nudged his side gently. "It's okay," she whispered. "I love nerds."

"The candy," Laxus chuckled, then grunted when she elbowed him without looking away from her fiance.

"Not the point."

Freed shrugged. "I accepted my nerdiness long ago. I will take it as a compliment."

Jude's voice drew everyone's attention back to the swirling images in the air. "You and Freed kept using magic, and we had already signed the contract for your engagement by the time your mother died. I know that she gave the contract to her spirits for safekeeping, and I didn't blame her for it one bit. Before she died, Frances came to me and said we were cutting all ties. That he had already destroyed his copy of the contract, and he expected me to do the same. The things he said about you and Layla…" There was a pregnant pause. "I couldn't let you be around someone like him. And all I could hope was that Freed wouldn't end up being the same."

* * *

_X777_

_Freed walked through the Heartfilia estate on a mission to find his best friend. Layla was still sick, and he just knew that Lucy wasn't taking it well. From the whispers he heard from the staff at home, Layla wasn't getting better. In fact, she was getting worse. Lucy wasn't in the library, her room, or the music room, and no one knew where she was. Jude hadn't known either, but he seemed to be preoccupied with talking to Freed's father, so that left the teen to find her on his own._

_And he did. At the old fountain that she summoned Aquarius in, where the two of them would go to spend time together more often than not lately. She was kneeling on the ground with her mother's keys in her small hands. Without a moment's hesitation, he knelt beside her and pulled the crying blonde into his arms._

" _S-Someone said… She's not gonna make it…"_

" _They don't know for sure, Lucy."_

" _But… I heard the doctor telling Daddy… M-Mama doesn't have long…"_

_He frowned and gently stroked her hair. "Then why are you out here?"_

" _Because I didn't know where else to go. Everyone is too busy to waste time on me now."_

_He sighed and shook his head at that. "I'll never be too busy for you, Lucy."_

" _Because we'll always be together?" she whispered, a small glimmer of hope in her trembling voice._

" _That's right. Always."_

_They were silent for a time before she spoke again. "I hope my parents don't make one of those contracts to make me marry someone. I heard Ms. Spetto talking about it… "_

" _I feel the same way," Freed nodded. "But you'll have to get married eventually."_

_Lucy smiled up at him, her nine-year-old eyes shining with tears. "Then I want to marry my best friend! You always tell me we'll be together forever."_

_Freed blushed. "I'm much older than you, Lucy."_

" _Three years isn't that much."_

_He laughed softly at the pout she gave him. "Well, I can't think of anything better than that," he finally said. "I want to spend forever with my best friend, too."_

" _So we'll get married then?" Lucy giggled._

" _Definitely." He grinned. "Maybe I'll ask you to marry me with a riddle."_

* * *

"Layla kept getting worse, and I was at my wit's end on what to do. I couldn't let you be near Freed, or Frances, but I could see how upset you were any time you asked to see your friend. We couldn't come to an agreement on anything anymore. And I know that all you wanted was Freed's comfort while your mother was so sick." Jude coughed again, then groaned tiredly. "I tried to make things work with Frances, to salvage our friendship… But somewhere along the way… I lost sight of what was important."

Christophe looked over to his parents, seeing the guilt sitting plainly on his father's face and the pain simmering in his mother's eyes. Slowly, his blurred gaze swept over to his brother and future sister-in-law. He had known they were close when they were younger, but he'd never been told why Lucy disappeared from their lives.  _'I thought they just stopped talking.'_  Freed had grown so distant when Lucy disappeared. He wasn't himself anymore, but everyone had simply chalked it up to him getting older, being a teenager.  _'It was because of magic. That's why…'_

"So, I called Frances, and I explained what was going on. He suggested we make it so that you two couldn't remember one another. I thought it was a good idea, considering just how distant Frances and I had become. I didn't want you to lose out on happiness because you were still clinging to your friendship with Freed."

* * *

_X777_

_Lucy looked up at her father's stern face as she walked toward the waiting carriage with him. "Why isn't Mama coming with us?"_

" _She is still feeling unwell," Jude answered shortly. "She needs her rest, Lucy."_

_She nodded, looking down at her hands as they took a seat and went on their way. She didn't pay attention to where they were going, and the next thing she knew… She was sitting in a large chair, surrounded by darkness. "D-Daddy?"_

" _Quiet, Lucy. This is for the best."_

_She looked down as a clear glass orb was placed in her hands. A man wearing dark robes, with his face hidden in shadows, placed a hand on her head and pointed a finger at the orb. "Think of Freed Justine," he whispered to the girl. "Everything about him. Every memory you have of him and the Justine family."_

_Lucy nibbled her lip nervously, then did as she was told. A scream tore itself from her throat, echoing in the darkened room until she lost consciousness._

* * *

Lucy frowned as she listened to the mysterious man's voice. Something about it was familiar, but she couldn't place just what it was.

"Frances had a few contacts in the Magic Council, and we both got in touch with him. I never knew his name… He took your memories away two months before your mother died, and locked them in a lacrima. Each and every one that concerned Freed was taken from you, and because there were so many that involved myself and your mother as well, those had to be taken too. We had to make sure you would never remember him…"

* * *

_X777_

_Freed silently followed his father into the carriage, his head bowed respectfully. 'I miss Lucy,' he thought sadly._

_Before he knew what was happening, he was sitting in a large chair and looking up at a hooded man. An orb was settled in his hands, and he turned to his father. "Father, what's-"_

" _Silence, Freed," Frances sneered. He turned to the other man. "Don't erase everything. Change what you can and remove that Heartfilia girl."_

" _That's pretty risky. Are you sure?" the man asked._

_Freed gasped. "What? Get rid of Lucy?! NO!" He whimpered when a hand connected with the side of his face, then turned back to see his father scowling down at him._

" _I said… Silence, Freed," Frances hissed. "You have no say in the matter. You will do this, and you will forget everything about that family. They're beneath us."_

" _B-But… I love Lucy. Wh-Why would-" Freed cried out when he was smacked again. "I-I'm sorry, father."_

" _That's better. Stop your snivelling, boy. Men don't cry."_

_Freed nodded, but his tears never stopped. He looked up at the hooded man when a large, tan hand was placed on his head. "Please," he whispered. "Don't take my best friend away…"_

" _Frances…"_

_Frances sighed, his voice growing more distant as he walked away from his son. "Do what you need to, Brain. I'm not watching my son disgrace our family name."_

_Freed cried out when the hand holding his head tightened. "F-Father! Make him stop!"_

" _Think of Lucy Heartfilia," Brain chuckled. "Everything about her and the Heartfilia family. You won't remember a thing…"_

_Freed screamed in agony as his memories were torn away, his vision tunneling until everything went dark._

* * *

Lucy's eyes were wide as she stared at the fading memory. "Brain…" That was why the voice was so familiar. She would never forget that psychopath. She turned to Frances, her eyes burning with fury. "You… Our memories were taken by the leader of the Oracion Seis?!"

"That was before he created the guild," Frances sighed, refusing to meet her gaze. "I had no idea he was-"

"Sis, I think you're gonna break Freed's hand."

Lucy blinked and turned to her fiance, then squeaked when she saw him trying and failing to pry her hand from his. "Sorry."

Freed shook his head in silence, then tenderly kissed her knuckles. He reached up with his handkerchief and slowly dried her tears, then the two looked back up to the images that were dancing above them once Jude spoke again.

"You were listless for so long after you lost Freed. I never told Layla what Frances and I did, and I know that she thought you were upset because she was sick. She used to hold you as much as she could, and try to make you smile… But it never came. What I did… I took your smile away."

* * *

_X777_

_Lucy sat alone at the piano in tears, wishing with everything she was worth that she could play a song for her recently deceased mother. She knew there was a way that she used to cheer up by playing the piano, but she couldn't remember._

" _He's missing," the blonde whispered to herself._

_She frowned, trying to think of who it might be. Who might have the answer of how to make her smile again. The blonde brought her palms to her eyes as her head started pounding, but she refused to give up._

_Eventually, her nose started to bleed, and she collapsed backwards off of the piano bench. "Freed…" she whispered absently before losing consciousness._

* * *

"We found out, over time, that not everything had been completely erased. You used to get flashes here and there, and I had to return you to the man that took them away for him to clear those memories as well."

* * *

_X777_

_Freed's eyes darted across the newspaper as he finished his breakfast. He frowned when the picture of a beautiful blonde woman caught his eye, the headline reading, 'Layla Heartfilia Dead at the Age of 29.'_

_His frown deepened when he saw the little girl pictured with the woman. She seemed vaguely familiar. Her bright brown eyes, and wide smile. As the servant went to take his empty dish away, he looked up into the young woman's hazel eyes. "Why does this girl look familiar?"_

_She laughed. "You won't trick me, Freed. That's your best friend, Lucy. Silly thing." She rolled her eyes and walked off._

_He looked down at the picture again, then put a hand to his head and stumbled away from the table. Down one hall and another, he finally made it to the safety of his bedroom before collapsing. "Lucy…"_

* * *

"More and more of who you were was leaving, and even though I knew you were using your mother's keys so you had a friend to talk to, I couldn't do anything. I kept telling myself that I would talk to Frances when you were old enough to be married, and see if maybe his mind had changed. I wanted to see the man that Freed grew into without you before I could give your memories back."

* * *

_X778_

_Lucy pulled the Water Bearer's key from the fountain with tears in her eyes. Without hesitation, she lunged for the mermaid spirit and wrapped her arms around the woman._

" _Lucy?" Aquarius whispered worriedly. "What happened?"_

" _Aquee, why am I so sad all the time?" she cried._

_Aquarius sighed and hugged the blonde. "I can't say, Lulu…"_

" _Why do I feel like there's someone missing?"_

" _You… You mean, your mom?" she asked carefully, her eyes wide and filled with concern._

_Lucy shook her head. "Someone else… I see him when I'm sleeping sometimes… but, I don't know who he is… He's so familiar, but then I wake up with a headache."_

_Tears trickled down Aquarius' cheeks, soaking into the blonde hair her nose was nestled in. "I'm so sorry, Lulu. I wish you could remember who he is… That… That must be so hard…"_

" _Is he real, Aquee? Is there someone I can't remember?"_

" _..."_

" _I wish there was… I wanna have a friend with pretty green hair like in my dreams…"_

" _I know, Lulu… I do, too…"_

* * *

"What I hadn't realized, though," Jude said sadly, "Was that… By taking Freed away…"

* * *

_X778_

_Freed let out a slow breath while reading under a tree. Christophe and Avery practiced fencing with one another a short distance away. He turned the page, mumbling the translation of the ancient text to himself when his two younger brothers ran up to him with wide smiles._

" _Freed, let's play hide and seek for old time's sake!" Christophe said._

" _Yeah, remember how fun that was?" Avery nodded._

_Freed slowly lifted his gaze from the book, a bored expression on his face. "You are mistaken," he replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "I never played such a game with the two of you. If you will excuse me…" He didn't want to be bothered, and he stood to start making his way inside where he could get some peace._

_Christophe grabbed Freed's arm with a scowl on his face. "What are you talking about? We played it all the time!"_

" _Yeah! Every time Lucy came over, she'd get you to play with us! Now you just ignore us…"_

_Freed's brow furrowed in confusion as he looked at his brothers. "Who is that?"_

" _You must be joking!" Christophe shouted, looking at Avery whose mouth was hanging open in shock. "The two of you have been friends almost her entire life!"_

" _Did you get into a fight?" Avery asked. "She hasn't come over in a long time… We miss her…"_

" _If this is some sort of prank, then I refuse to be fooled by it. I do not know what you're talking about." Freed sighed and clenched his eyes when his head started pounding. "Now, I will take my leave."_

" _It's not a prank, Freed… Why are you acting like you don't know Lucy?" Christophe looked on as Freed dropped his book and put a hand to his head. "... Freed?"_

" _I…" Freed mumbled. "I don't… know… Wh-Who that… is…"_

" _Lucy Heartfilia!" Avery bellowed. Freed dropped to his knees a moment later, and Avery fought against Christophe as the middle brother tried to pull him away. "She's blonde with brown eyes and a pretty smile. She makes everyone happy when they meet her. You and Lucy usually sit in the library all the time, because you both love books more than anything! But she still got you to play with us! Come on, Freed! You know who Lucy is!"_

" _Avery," Christophe said as he pushed their younger, green-haired brother back. "Go get father…" He quickly moved to kneel on the ground as Freed curled in on himself._

" _Stop…" Freed whimpered. "I-I don't… I don't know… anyone named… L-Lucy…" His eyes clenched even tighter when he felt as though his skull was shrinking around his swelling brain. "S-Stop… Please…"_

" _Stop pretending, Freed!" Avery spat. "Just admit you know who Lucy is!"_

" _Avery, enough! Go get father! Something's wrong with Freed!"_

" _Not until he admits it!"_

" _L-Lucy… I… I know… her?" Freed's eyes opened to reveal nothing but a blur around him, the edges of his vision wriggling with darkness._

_A quick memory of sitting beneath a tree while Christophe and Avery played off in the distance wavered until Freed saw a flash of a blonde girl falling from a tree and right into his waiting arms while they all played together._

" _She… She's my best…" Freed loosed a bloodcurdling scream when pain exploded behind his eyes, blinding him and forcing his quaking body to completely crumple to the ground. His hands pulled at his hair as he tried to stop the pain. He tried to focus on something else. Anything else. But he couldn't._

_Christophe gasped when Freed's ears and nose started pouring blood. "Avery! Get father now!"_

_Avery's eyes were wide as Christophe straddled their thrashing older brother and tried to keep him still. "F-Freed…"_

" _NOW!" Christophe bellowed. Once Avery turned and started running back toward the mansion, he grunted and laid himself over Freed. "What happened to you?" he whispered._

" _AHHHHH!"_

* * *

Everyone present stared at the memory that slowly morphed into a tiny mote of light and fluttered down to the stunned Rune mage. No one knew what to say, except for Christophe.

"That's why you told us to never talk about the Heartfilias to Freed," Christophe said, as he looked over to his father. "This is why… It… It hurt him when he thought about her, because you took his memories away."

"Wait," Bickslow frowned. "You're saying you made Freed's brothers keep it a secret?"

Frances nodded. "I was told later," he said, with a quivering, guilt-ridden voice, "The more Freed's memory was jolted without the lacrima to ease everything back, the more life-threatening it was when he had to go back and get it erased again. He told me that the last one, this one… It was the last time he could do it without giving him complete amnesia. Freed would have lost everything."

"And you didn't think that was maybe a good enough reason to just give him everything back?" Evergreen asked.

Frances shook his head. "No. I just ensured that the staff and everyone else understood that Lucy's family, or anything related to it, would result in severe repercussions. I made sure that no one could make it so Freed lost all of his memories."

Freed was visibly trembling as he reached for Lucy's hand again. When he felt her gently squeeze, he turned to meet her gaze. "I…"

Lucy nibbled her lip for a moment, watching as the Rune mage took a slow breath. "Are you alright?"

He nodded quickly. If he was being honest, Freed was far from alright. He was spooked beyond belief, and he didn't know how he was supposed to deal with each revelation that came about. If anything, he just wanted this to be done so he could curl up in Lucy's arms and try to sort through everything. If anything, he wanted to be back home. He wasn't sure if he wanted anymore memories if this was what he had gone through at the hands of his father.  _'He's supposed to love me, and yet… All of this…'_

"I took everything from you, Lucy," Jude whispered. "I took the one you loved more than anything. The pain I felt from being on the verge of losing Layla was pushed onto you. I made you suffer, and then I pushed you away in my own grief. I forgot about what had always been more important than anything. I forgot to make sure you were happy…"

* * *

_X780_

_Lucy smiled shyly at the older green-haired boy that she kept meeting here and there during the ball she and her father had been invited to. Her father had said that she had to go, because there would be suitors there that she was required to meet. She didn't care about any of that._

_This boy was different from the others. He didn't really smile, but she just knew that it would be dazzling when he did. His green waistlength hair looked so soft that all she wanted was to run her fingers through it. He was dashing, with those deep green eyes and the beauty mark beneath his right eye. Thin, handsome, with a sword buckled on his belt around his red jacket._

_No matter how many times they separated to attend to one matter or another during the ball, they always seemed to bump into each other. Taking a glass from the same waiter, while they were forced to dance and switch partners - which, she found it oddly endearing that he was utterly hopeless when it came to dancing - and now, as she stood on the balcony that overlooked the gardens. All she had wanted was some fresh air, to be away from the suffocating atmosphere inside. It seemed he wanted the same thing._

" _Hello again, Miss Lucy," he chuckled softly while looking up into the night sky._

" _Hello, Freed." Lucy turned to look back at the party inside, then out across the gardens that she wasn't familiar with. Suddenly, she turned back to him and grabbed his gloved hand with one of her own. "Come with me."_

_Freed blinked in surprise, stumbling after the surprisingly strong blonde. "E-Excuse me?"_

_Lucy laughed and glanced at him over her shoulder. "Come on. I've heard Lord Aurus has the most amazing hedge maze."_

" _Hedge maze?" Freed asked, pulling her to a stop just inside the entrance. He looked up around them, his eyes scanning their surroundings before looking back at the grinning blonde. "And… You would like to enter this place… With a stranger?"_

_Lucy gave him another shy smile, a light blush on her cheeks. "I thought it would be fun, solving the puzzle. Would you like to?" Her breath stuttered when he grinned down at her, and she found her own smile widened when he turned and tucked her hand into the crook of his elbow._

_The pair made their way through the maze with ease, then took a seat on one of the marble benches surrounding a magnificent fountain._

" _Why do I feel like I know you?" Lucy asked._

" _I am not sure, but… I do feel the same way." Freed looked down and pulled his gloves off at the same time Lucy did, and the fingers on his left hand brushed over the ones on her right as they both moved to set their gloves down. His gaze shot up when he felt the smallest spark between them, and his brow furrowed when he saw the briefest flash of purple in her left eye._

" _There's just… something about you," Lucy whispered as she leaned closer to him, scrutinizing every detail she could take in as her head unconsciously tilted to one side._

_He gulped at her proximity, his cheeks flaring brilliantly. Between one moment and the next, something urged him to throw caution to the wind. And, for once, he did. Freed closed the distance between them and pressed his lips to hers._

_As quickly as it began, it was over, and Lucy blinked in surprise when he only pulled back an inch. Just his lips on hers, the barest of contact. Still, she found herself smiling at the mysterious teen she'd met. "I should be upset that my first kiss was stolen," she giggled._

_Freed's blush deepened along with hers. "If you would allow it, I would be willing to give you a proper first kiss under more traditional circumstances," he whispered._

_She giggled again and shook her head. "Not traditional. But… I'll allow it right now…?"_

_Another smile broke out on his face, and Freed tenderly grasped her hands, lacing their fingers together. He took a slow breath, then leaned forward again. Once his lips met with hers, he felt as though the runes he practiced in secret had finally told them everything he needed to know about the world._

_Lucy's eyes fluttered open and she looked up as his eyes opened as well. Without thinking, she reached up and tucked his bangs behind his ear, smiling when she was able to see both of his beautifully deep green eyes. "I hope you can be one of the suitors my father is making me meet soon."_

" _And why would that be?"_

" _Because you make me happy," she answered automatically. "I feel like I've met you before… Somewhere… Maybe… Like I dreamt you existed."_

_Freed nibbled his lip, placing his hand over hers where it was frozen on his cheek. "I would like that very much, Lucy," he whispered. His eyes closed again as her slender fingers gently pulled him closer, a small smile on his face that melted once they kissed again._

* * *

Lucy's fingers were pressed to her lips as she stared at Freed in shock. "W-We…"

Freed nodded numbly. "It appears we did."

"You what?" Laxus growled with narrowed eyes. Lucy looked like she was barely thirteen in that memory, and the older brother in him was ready to punch Freed's lights out if they did anything more than kiss.

Lucy laughed breathlessly and shook her head, never taking her eyes away from her fiance. "Freed was my first kiss," she whispered. "Both times, apparently."

He remembered the first time they had kissed - after she had saved him from Ansa - and what he'd said to her then. How he wanted to give her a proper first kiss under more traditional circumstances. It all came right back around. Everything he and Lucy had been through in their relationship circled right back around to moments from their lives together before. Before everything had been taken away.

"It's always been you," Lucy whispered with a soft smile, missing the looks that the Raijinshuu shared with Freed's brother.

"Always," Freed whispered back with a soft chuckle.

"I still had happy memories with Layla, times that I could look back on. You didn't have any of that, and I'm the reason why… Your heart was broken, Lucy. But you never understood why it was like that. Now I know that I didn't just take Freed from you though. I took your mother, and I took myself, away. So much of your life was intertwined with knowing him, with being his friend, and that meant you lost happy memories with everyone else too."

Frances took a shaky breath and removed the fourth orb from the box as the last of Lucy and Freed's memories settled into the pair.

"Lucy," Jude sighed. "There's something that I want you to see. This is the last gift I can give you. It's everything I have left of the life I once had with you and your mother."

Everyone in the room watched as Frances sent the orb up into the air, utterly silent as another memory was played for them all.

* * *

_X772_

_Jude smiled while looking down at his excited five-year-old daughter's face. "You can see Freed soon, dear," he laughed._

" _Yes, Daddy," Lucy giggled. "I'm just excited! We get to stay the night!"_

" _We do," Layla answered as they were led down the halls to where Frances and Angela were waiting. "All weekend, even. Mr. Frances says that the Sakura Festival is the best out here."_

_They all stopped when Marcus announced them, then Jude and Layla grinned down at Lucy who was quite literally bouncing with her excitement. "Say hello," Jude gently reminded her._

" _Right! Hello Mr. and Mrs. Justine!" Lucy smiled._

_Angela and Frances chuckled and greeted the bubbly blonde. "Freed and the boys are outside, Lucy. If you would like to go and play," Angela said, glancing out to see her eldest son sitting beneath a tree and reading a book._

_Jude let out a soft sigh as Lucy giggled and ran through the open doors and out into the yard, her young legs carrying her as quickly as she could manage out to her best friend._

_She was on a mission, as she always was when it came to Freed, and all four parents watched with soft smiles on their faces when Freed realized she was there and finally put his book down. He jumped to his feet and wrapped his arms around the blonde when she jumped, then spun her in a circle with a wide smile on his face._

" _You would think they haven't seen each other in years," Layla sighed._

_Frances chuckled, then he quirked a brow. "Jude, why isn't your daughter dressed appropriately?"_

_Jude looked over the jeans, sneakers, and t-shirt his daughter was wearing, and smirked. There wasn't a single thing wrong with her wearing those clothes. Just because she was a young lady didn't mean that she couldn't dress like normal girls her age._

" _Lucy complained the last time we came by," Layla laughed softly. "She said that she couldn't play with Christophe and Avery while she's wearing a dress."_

_When Frances and Angela openly gaped at his wife, Jude pressed a hand to her lower back in support. "Lucy also enjoys practicing her gymnastics in her free time, and she can't do that in a dress either."_

" _Oh, she's so good at getting him to come out of his shell," Angela sighed happily. They all watched as Lucy smacked Freed's hand away from his book when he tried to pick it back up, then pulled him by the hand over to his brothers so they could play together._

_Christophe covered his eyes as Avery, Freed, and Lucy ran off in different directions. Avery hid in a bush, Freed hid behind a tree, and Lucy vaulted herself into the same tree to hide in the branches. The blond boy found his older brother first, then Avery, and all three started looking for Lucy._

_Avery grinned and pointed up in the tree when he found the blonde, causing the other two to come running over. She carefully started climbing down, and Angela gasped when Avery tried to help her down, causing the blonde to slip. Within moments, Freed was beneath her, his arms outstretched and catching her with ease. While Lucy was settled on her feet, smiling all the while, Christophe started to scold Avery, who looked close to tears._

_Lucy placed a hand on Christophe's shoulder, then shook her head and hugged Avery. "She takes after her mother," Jude sighed happily when he saw her calming the youngest Justine down and starting another round of hide-and-seek. They watched the children for a little while longer before Freed and Lucy decided to come inside with her hand in his elbow and smiles on their faces._

" _Thank you for catching me, Freed," Lucy said softly as they walked in through another door, heading toward the library._

" _I'll always catch you, Lucy."_

_She giggled. "You will? What if you're not around at the time?"_

" _Alright," Freed laughed, "As long as I'm around, then."_

" _But what if you fall? Can I catch you, too?"_

" _I should hope so. Unless you don't want to catch me."_

" _Of course I do! We're gonna be together forever, Freed."_

_Jude watched the children's retreating backs with a smile on his face. One that widened when Freed's arm wound around Lucy's waist at the same time as hers did around his._

" _I love you Lucy," Freed said once her head rested on his shoulder._

" _I love you too, Freed."_

_Jude pulled a handkerchief from his pocket at the same time as Frances did, both men handing the cloths to their teary-eyed wives._

" _It seems our decision to write this contract is a sound one," Frances said._

" _I agree," Jude nodded slowly. "I doubt they'll object to it like so many others do."_

_Layla sniffled softly and shook her head. "As long as they're happy together, I'll sign it. You know I don't like these things, but… Only if it's Freed."_

_"Agreed. And we'll tell them about it when he comes of age, yes?" Jude asked while turning to look at Frances._

_"Yes, once Freed is eighteen, we'll sit them down and tell them," Frances replied. "She'll only have another year before she can legally marry, so it won't harm business to postpone the marriage until then."_

" _Well," Angela said, turning and leading the others to the drawing room, "Let's go and finish the contract."_

* * *

Lucy blotted her eyes quickly to rid herself of the steady stream of tears running down her cheeks. It had been so long since she'd heard her mother's voice so clearly. While she now had memories of countless moments with her parents, and with Freed, from over the years, this was something special. Precious. A gift from her father of the day that both families had decided to sign the contract for her engagement to her best friend, the one she had loved for as long as she could remember - rightfully so, now.

As Jude started coughing again, Frances pulled out the final orb and looked down at it with troubled eyes. "I… I have one left," he said slowly, returning his gaze to his son and future daughter-in-law. "This is my own memory, just a copy. After I realized what Jude had been trying to tell me when he came to me, and after I realized just how right he had been, I made this to show you that day."

"What day?" Freed asked.

"The day he asked me to do this," Frances chuckled sadly. "Let me show you…" His fingers brushed over the orb twice and it floated into the air.

* * *

_X791_

_Frances looked up from his desk with a scowl on his face as a brief knock sounded at the door. "Enter."_

" _Jude Heartfilia to see you, sir," Marcus said, nervousness showing through every syllable._

_Frances sneered and clenched his fist around his pen. "You know very well that… man… is not welcome here. Freed is dead, and that daughter of his disappeared long ago. There is nothing for us to speak about."_

" _Yes, sir," Marcus replied. He turned to leave, then paused._

" _Is there something else?" Frances asked, his eyes returning to the contract before him._

" _It is just that… Well, I do not mean to be presumptuous, sir."_

" _Then stop speaking."_

" _Sir," Marcus said as he took a step closer to the desk. "He says he is dying. I know that he does not have anything you can gain from, but…"_

_Frances set his pen down slowly, his brow furrowing. "Dying?" he whispered to himself, his gaze slowly lifting to look at the butler. "Are you sure?"_

_Marcus nodded. "Yes, sir. He said that he would have sent a letter to announce himself, and he understands if you wish not to meet with him, but… It does seem rather important."_

" _Probably wants a loan," Frances grumbled. After a moment, he sighed heavily and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers. "Fine. Bring him here."_

_Marcus nodded and disappeared, bringing Frances' old friend a few minutes later. Slowly, and with great care, the butler led Jude across the room and settled him in a chair. Frances instantly took notice of the box held under his arm, and his brow lifted curiously._

_Once Marcus left the room with a deep bow, Frances turned his hardened gaze back to the blonde across from him. "Jude."_

" _Hello, Frances," Jude said with a tired smile. "It's been awhile."_

" _That would be the understatement of the century." Frances shook his head and lifted his pen to continue working on the contract before him. "What is it you wished to speak with me about?"_

_Jude sighed heavily and was silent for a time. Long enough for Frances to spare him a fleeting glance. "It's about their memories," he said, his grip tightening slightly on the box now sitting in his lap._

" _There is nothing to discuss, then," Frances scoffed. "Freed is dead. And good riddance to that no-good son of mine."_

_Jude blinked in confusion. "Dead?"_

_Frances nodded. "Yes. That guild he joined… Fairy something… They were wiped out. Slaughtered. Avery thought it would be best to inform me, but I don't see the point. He was such a disappointment."_

" _I see," Jude sighed. "It was on an island, yes?"_

_Frances nodded. "Something like that."_

" _Well, I know those children aren't dead," Jude said with a soft smile. "I have faith that Fairy Tail will pull through."_

" _It's been almost seven years, Jude. You're delusional."_

" _I'm not delusional. What I am, Frances, is dying." Frances frowned and set his pen down before looking into Jude's aged eyes. "You remember the contract we made?"_

" _Which one?"_

" _About their memories, Frances."_

" _Yes."_

_Jude lifted the box and placed it on the desk, his fingers gently stroking the uneven wooden surface. "When I lost everything, my business and everything else, I made sure to take just one thing. Lucy's memories."_

" _This is pointless, Jude. She is better off without them, considering Freed is dead."_

" _They're not dead," Jude said with a fond smile. "Regardless of that, I know I won't be able to see her by the time she comes back."_

" _Where has she gone?"_

_Jude shook his head and chuckled. "One adventure after another. Frances… I'm dying. I want Lucy to have her memories back, but I won't be here to do it myself. We signed that contract when we agreed to take their memories. To give them back when Lucy turned eighteen, if she hadn't already married, and if you and I could agree to both children having them."_

" _I know all of this. What's the point?"_

_Jude looked deeply into Frances' eyes. "I want my daughter to have her memories. I want her to be happy, and to realize that her life wasn't as bad as she remembers. She wasn't always alone, or crying... Frances, haven't you ever felt guilty for what we did to them?"_

" _Why should I?" Frances spat. "It was necessary, Jude. I refused to let him associate with… mages."_

" _And now he's part of a mage's guild," Jude chuckled. "That seems to have backfired."_

" _He's dead, Jude."_

" _He isn't. None of the ones that were stuck on that island are dead. I don't know what happened, but I know they're still alive. I can feel it." Jude coughed, and worry flickered in Frances' eyes when he didn't stop. "If you want to allow it, then give them back their memories... As per the contract, I'm giving my permission for Lucy to have hers as long as Freed gets his as well. They should decide for themselves if they want to be together now that they're older, not some contract... I see that now... I only wish that we had taken time to consider what they were losing…"_

_Frances slowly reached forward and opened the box, raising a brow when he saw three separate orbs nestled inside. "And the other two?"_

" _One is my memory of the day we signed the marriage contract," Jude sighed happily. "They were so sweet then… So young and innocent…"_

" _And the other?"_

" _A message for Lucy," Jude replied. "I won't be here to tell her all the things that I wish I could… That I've been wishing I could say since we parted ways. I want her to understand why this happened, why you and I were so stupid."_

" _We were not stupid, Jude. It needed to be done."_

" _We were, and I've regretted that decision ever since Layla died. I took away who my daughter really was, all because you and I couldn't come to an agreement. We were too blind to see the forest for the trees. I could write her a thousand letters, and it still wouldn't be enough. She… Lucy needs to hear this from me, Frances. I want her to have the chance to see me one last time, in the event that she's even willing to listen at all…"_

" _It seems you had a falling out with her?"_

" _You could say that," Jude sighed. "She wanted to follow her own path in life, and I was trying to stop her…"_

_Frances frowned when Jude began coughing. Again and again until eyes fluttered closed and he slumped forward in his chair. "Jude?" he whispered. "Jude!"_

" _..."_

_Frances jumped from his seat when he saw the smallest speckling of blood on the tissue Jude had been coughing into. He rushed around the desk, summoning Marcus as he went to kneel at his old friend's side. "Jude," he said worriedly. "Jude, wake up…"_

_He ignored the tears welling in his eyes as a doctor was called, and instead put his own stoic mask back in place while he signed the forms necessary and watched Jude being wheeled away from the estate. "If, by some miracle," he whispered to the unconscious man as he watched the staff carefully loading him into a carriage, "If Freed is alive… He will need to discontinue his use of magic for him to get his memories. I will do this for you… Old friend…"_

" _Sir," Marcus said softly from the doorway. "They need to know where to take him…"_

" _A hospital, Marcus." Frances didn't look away from the window, refusing to let his butler see just how much this was affecting him. "I will pay for any expenses that are incurred. Make sure he is well taken care of, and comfortable…"_

" _Yes, sir… I will make sure no one disturbs you." Marcus bowed and quickly left the room._

_Frances let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes while the carriage started moving away from the estate. "Jude," he whispered. "I… I wish w-we had more time…"_

_He was alone, and free to do what he pleased, which meant that Frances finally allowed himself to let everything go. He broke down in tears, not trying to hide them. His old friend, the best friend he'd ever had, was dying. All that time spent apart, over what should never have been an argument to begin with… Wasted. It was all wasted. "I'm s-so sorry…"_

* * *

Freed and Christophe stared at their father in astonishment. They had never known him to be an emotional man, unless he was angry. But this? They could hear his torment over everything, saw his reflection in the window while he watched Jude being taken away. They had seen the tears and anguish sitting plainly on his face.

"Father…" Christophe whispered.

Frances shook his head in silence, shakily pulling a handkerchief out to wipe the moisture from his eyes.

"My dearest Lucy," Jude said tenderly. "There was so much of your mother in you that I could never be anything but proud to call you my daughter. I'm sorry that it took losing everything for me to see that you were always the woman I wanted you to be. And I'm sorry that I never got to tell you this in person. You deserved the world, and while I wanted to make sure you had every opportunity to do just that… I stood in your way. I ripped Freed from you, tried to take your magic and your choices away, tried to keep you locked in a cage…"

Lucy looked up as her father's face appeared in the grey fog above them, a sad smile on her face. This was what she had always wanted to hear from him. The real apology that he had never had the chance to give her for everything that had happened. Yes, she had forgiven him for it, but...

"I know now just how difficult I've made your life, and I am truly sorry. I hope, by the time you return and hear this, that you and Freed can be together. I hope you still love one another, just like Layla and I loved each other." He paused and his face grew serious. "And Freed… If you are listening to this, know that you have always had my blessing to marry my daughter. Please, take care of her. Love her with your whole being, and…" He smirked slightly. "Stop writing on my daughter's eye, young man."

Freed blanched. "Wh-What…"

The room was filled with Jude's booming laugh. "Oh, I can just picture your face right now. I hope you are both happy as mages in Fairy Tail, and I can only wish that you will have all of the adventures you can dream of. While Freed is the reason I tried to get you away from that guild in the beginning, Lucy, I eventually decided that I needed to just let things happen as they may. You two were always drawn to one another, even without your memories. Just… Don't forget to make me a grandpa at some point. I might not get the chance to see your children, but I know they will be loved and safe. You two won't ever make the same mistakes Frances and I did. You're too smart for that."

Lucy leaned into Freed's side, silently crying with a smile on her face as his arm wrapped around her.

"I love you, my Lucky little Lucy. I love you to the stars and back." A soft smile graced his face as the image faded and the fog in the air cleared, leaving the Fairy Tail mages and the Justine family in tears.


	21. The Secrets We Keep

Freed pressed a small kiss to Lucy's forehead as everyone tried to regain their composure. It really had always been her. From the very beginning, Lucy was the one he was supposed to be with, and it seemed that nothing was going to stop the two of them from being together. He still couldn't understand just what would possess their fathers to think that removing his and Lucy's memories was the proper way to go about handling their own differences, but it was all in the past. Now, all he cared about was that he had all of his memories with his fiancee. Everything was back, from the day they met until when they were finally separated for the last time.

"We had to keep locking them away," Frances said with a shaky sigh. "Sometimes older memories would surface, or we would find out you had new memories with one another. We found out you two had started writing letters to one another in secret, and that was the last time we took your memories."

Freed's brow furrowed at that. "But that was only a year or so before I left home to join Fairy Tail."

"Yes," Frances sighed. "And I had hoped that Lucy would be married off to someone else so that she would never meet with you. It seems that the only time you two didn't experience pain from remembering anything was when you were together. But I refused to give your memories back unless you both discontinued the use of your magic. Freed, you would have needed to come home to run the business, and Lucy… I just didn't want you to be a mage if you were going to marry my son."

"Why do you hate mages so much, anyway?" Laxus asked with a scowl. "I mean, whatever it is, you essentially tried to ruin your son's life over him being a mage, so…"

Frances' jaw tightened marginally as he met Laxus' powerful gaze. "A mage, a long time ago, tried to take what was mine. If he'd succeeded, I would have been... He didn't seem to care all that much, however, as long as he was victorious." He was never going to tell anyone the full story of just what had happened, that his prize in that fight had been his wife when they were still only betrothed. Angela had once been rather adventurous, and the mage that almost took her away from him would have ruined everything. Not even Angela knew the lengths Frances had gone to, to ensure that their future was set and that there would be no challenge to his rights as her husband.

"So, because some cocky asshole tried to take something from you," Laxus mused, "You decided that all mages are the same?"

"I did," Frances nodded. "I see now, how misguided I was. I do stand by my conviction where that man is concerned, because he very nearly succeeded in ruining not just my life, but the lives of my family."

"Frances," Angela whispered as she looked at her husband of well over thirty years. She wanted to reach out to him, take his hand and beg him for the answers she so desperately needed. The only problem was that there was no way she would start an argument of any sort with two of their sons in the room, and definitely not with guests present. She wanted to know who could have possibly caused such hatred in her husband, and why he would have done something so horrible to not only their son, but to Lucy. Now she knew though… Why he had been so adamant about her not seeing Layla during her final months before her death.

Frances let out a slow breath and looked down at the empty box as Marcus removed it from in front of him. "I will understand if the two of you will never forgive me for what I have put you through."

"You gave them back," Lucy said as a gentle smile pulled at her lips. "That's what's important." The way Frances jolted and stared at her only had her eyes softening. "Ask anyone, I'm a pretty forgiving person, Frances."

"It's true," Bickslow chimed in. "We tried to take over the guild once, and she still forgave all four of us." When Laxus, Freed, and Evergreen turned to look at him with narrowed eyes - because really, the four of them were trying to forget about the huge mistake they'd made - his tongue lolled from his mouth. "What? You're not the ones that Cosplayer beat black and blue. My ass still hurts from it."

"You… did?" Christophe asked as he turned to look at the blushing blonde. He'd heard about how Lucy saved Freed, and from the scars that littered his brother's arms, Christophe could only assume that it had been quite the feat to rescue him. But taking over the guild? And she had defeated one of the hulking men at the table?

Laxus grinned and gently squeezed the hand that was still holding his. "Yeah. That's my baby sister for ya. She's a sneaky little thing, too." The memory of the first time he'd sparred with Lucy at the guild popped up, and he found himself chuckling when he remembered just how she'd tricked him with those harmless orbs of glittering golden light.

Frances and Angela watched as Lucy ducked her head bashfully, then turned as one to look at Laxus curiously. "I was… unaware that Lucy had any siblings," Angela said carefully. Really, the errant thought that Layla had had an affair was wholly unsettling - she and Jude had been so in love before.

Freed's jaw dropped only slightly as he looked from his parents to the blondes next to him, the implications of his mother's statement hanging thick in the air. "Lucy and Laxus are not really related, Mother," he said.

Lucy grinned and rested her head on Laxus' shoulder. "No, but we might as well be. Laxus took me in as his sister after I joined the team."

"I see," Angela smiled. "Finding a sense of kinship with someone else is nice, isn't it…"

Lucy nodded, sharing a knowing smile with the rest of the Raijinshuu - considering she really had found kin with Laxus.

After a moment, Freed turned to look at his silent father. "I do not understand just what you and Jude were thinking in taking our memories," he said, watching as Frances' eyes lowered again. "But, I will take a page from Lucy and also extend to you my forgiveness."

Frances smiled gratefully at his once-eldest son. "Thank you, Freed. And you, Lucy."

"Speaking of forgiving people," Lucy said slowly, a small pinch appearing between her thin brows. "What happened to Avery?"

An awkward hush fell over the room, and the Fairy Tail mages all watched as Frances' eyes lowered once again. Christophe stiffened with wide eyes while casting his mother a wary glance. "What do you mean?" Angela asked slowly. "What about Avery?"

"W-Well," Christophe winced. "Um, Mother…"

She turned to look at Frances again. "What did he do?"

"Angela," Frances sighed. "It's nothing."

"Don't tell me 'It's nothing' Frances," she whispered. "What did Avery do?"

Freed blinked in surprise as his mother turned teary eyes toward him. "M-Mother…" He knew that his father had always made sure she was oblivious on most things that were related to his business, but the Rune mage thought the man would at least let her know what had happened with her own child.

"You told me he committed a crime," she said while looking back at her husband. "What crime was it, exactly."

"No one told you?" Laxus asked incredulously.

"No. It seems I've been left in the dark."

Lucy cringed while looking to Freed. She hadn't meant to bring out any drama, and she'd assumed that Angela had known what happened before. Honestly, she was just curious to know what had happened to Avery, because now that she remembered the sweet boy he'd been, she wanted to know why he'd done such horrible things to both Freed and herself.

Freed let out a slow breath as he looked around the room, feeling everyone's eyes weighing heavily on him. He had never talked about just what had happened, except with Lucy. And with Mara, when the older maid had seen his scars. But this was his mother. She deserved to know what had happened in his life, and what her youngest son had done as a result of their father's influence. When Lucy silently squeezed his hand, he chanced a quick glance at her, then smiled in understanding when he saw the regret swimming in her beautifully mismatched eyes.

"Angela-" Frances began, only to pause when Freed cleared his throat.

"If you wish to know," Freed said as he looked back to his mother, "Then I will tell you. It seems only appropriate, because I was the one that received the brunt of Avery's… attention."

Laxus frowned and leaned forward slightly when he heard the small hesitation in Freed's speech. "Freed, man… You sure?"

He nodded, looking to each of the others in the room before his gaze finally landed on Lucy. She was his strength when he didn't have enough of it. She was the one that soothed his fears, tenderly stroked the chin of his inner demon. "There was one day, nearly a year ago," he began quietly. "Laxus, Evergreen, Bickslow, and I were on a mission. I was overtaken while we were out scouting, then knocked out and transported to an old monastery."

Lucy smiled in encouragement as Freed's hand trembled slightly. The fact that he was willing to talk about what had happened to him with anyone other than herself or their team was a huge step for the Rune mage. The guild knew he'd gone through something horrible, but they also knew not to ask him about it. Everyone had moved on from it for the most part, because no one ever saw just what had really happened to him. Even as the weather warmed, Freed had refused to be shirtless around others. No one but herself and the team had seen what was left in the wake of his torture.

"I was tortured," Freed said firmly, forcing himself to meet his mother's wide, turquoise eyes. "At the time, I was under the impression that they simply wanted information on Fairy Tail, and for three weeks I managed to keep the information my captors were seeking to myself."

"T-Tortured?" Angela whimpered.

"Yes, Mother," Freed replied. "It was during that third week of captivity that…" He paused, his voice catching for a moment before he cleared his throat. "I-I was… Wh-While I was…"

"Freed," Lucy whispered. "Are you okay?"

He nodded quickly, then stared down at the wooden grains of the table. "While I was being whipped, Lucy rescued me."

"Whipped?! Freed…"

"I will not go into the specific details of what I endured," Freed shakily continued. "But Lucy rescued me that day. She… Sh-She defeated an entire dark guild on her own. That was… That was the day she received the scar on her face."

Lucy gave Angela a sad smile when the woman turned to look at her again. Her eye patch was still transparent, so Freed's mother could see the entirety of her scar, along with her mismatched eye. It was something she would never be ashamed of. While Lucy had originally been adamant about having the scar as a reminder to herself of her failure, now it was something else entirely. The scar that traveled from her hairline down to her chin was a reminder of the day she had saved Freed, and the day that changed everything for her. It was just one more thing she shared with the Rune mage, and she was proud to have it, because it meant that she had succeeded in saving the man that had once only been nakama, and was now the love of her life - and, now that she had her memories back, had always been her best friend.

"Once we were back in Magnolia, a letter was sent to the guild. It said that it was from Christophe, but… It was Avery the whole time. Father was trying to force me to return to the estate, to give up being a mage, but Avery was the one behind my…"

"H-He wouldn't do that," Angela whispered as she turned to look at Frances. "Why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"You did not need to know-"

"I did!" Angela shouted as her tears spilled over. "Did you not think I deserved to know why Freed suddenly came home? Or why he left without even telling me goodbye? You just told me that everyone came to an agreement, and that Christophe was going to take over the business in Freed's stead. No one would tell me  _why_  Avery was being taken away by Rune Knights that day. F-Frances…"

"I did not inform you, because I knew it would only cause you pain," Frances sighed. "Avery hired the ones that hurt Freed. He admitted to everything the day Lucy and his friends came to meet with me."

"You mean the day you met with an emissary from the Princess. That was... They all came here?  _Lucy_  came here to take Freed back?"

"Yes."

Angela's fury-filled gaze returned to her son, softening when he looked back at her. "Freed… Why did you not come to me?" she asked, pain lacing her voice.

"I do not make a habit of speaking with anyone about what happened," he replied. "Avery was… What he did, I still do not understand in its entirety, but…"

Laxus sighed as Freed trailed off. "Avery took what your husband was beating into them over the years and tried to kill Freed so he could take over the business. He hated that Freed was a mage, and even tried to kill Lucy by having her house blown up."

Angela sniffled quietly, pulling out her own handkerchief and ignoring the one Frances held out to her as she carefully blotted the tears from her cheeks. "H-How badly were you…"

"I would rather not say, Mother." Freed's eyes widened when she shot up from her seat and stalked around the table. He wasn't entirely sure what compelled him to stand as she came up behind his chair, but nothing prepared him for what she did next.

"Show me, Freed."

"No."

Angela reached forward and dragged Freed away from the table to stand in front of her fully. Frantic hands reached for the buttons of his jacket, and she scowled when he pulled away. "Freed, I'm your mother. Show me what was done to you," she cried.

"Mother, please…"

"Angela," Frances sighed. "That is enough."

"No!" she shouted. "I deserve to know what's been kept from me! Thirty years, Frances. Thirty years of secrets, and now this? I'm his  _mother_! I should have known my little boy was hurt!"

Freed whimpered and tried to push his mother's hands away from him when she finally unbuttoned his jacket. "M-Mother, stop…"

"Angela," Frances said more firmly. "Leave him alone."

"I won't!"

"Mother," Christophe said as he stood and moved to pull her away. "It is not something you need to see."

"You know about it too?" she spat. "You've seen what he's hiding?" She wrenched herself from Christophe's grasp, scowling as Freed took another step away from her. "Show me, or I'll pull your clothes off and see for myself!"

"Mother, stop this," Freed whispered, his voice trembling. "Please. I do not wish for-"

"Frédéric Henri Tristan Beauregard Justine…"

Freed went still and cringed as his full name came tumbling from her lips. The only one in Fairy Tail that knew his real name before that day, and not the nickname he'd adopted since he was a child, was Lucy. He'd told her at some point between when she found him in that monastery and Christmas, and that he absolutely abhorred his birth name - something that was his father's doing. Well, now their team knew it as well. Hopefully, no one would comment on it. His head lowered in shame and his eyes clamped shut, tremor after bone-jarring tremor running through his body.

"I am your mother, and you will do as I say!" Angela bellowed.

"Y-Yes, Mother," he whimpered.

"Now, show me what happened."

Freed's trembling hands reached for the buttons on his shirt after removing his jacket. He fumbled with each one until his mother's slender fingers rested over his. As she started unfastening the rest of the buttons, his hands fell to his sides. "I-I don't want you to see… Please…"

Lucy bit her lips worriedly as Angela pulled Freed's shirt open, watching as the older woman's eyes went wide and her face was stricken with horror. And disgust.

Angela's breath died in her chest in an instant as she took in the marred flesh of her son. Without another thought, she pulled his shirt down until it was dangling from the cuffs around his hands. Freed had always been a handsome young man, but as she took in the cross-hatched patterns of raised flesh over his chest and stomach and arms, the thick scars that wrapped around his wrists from what were shackles of some sort, then to his back to find more lash marks, and each of the larger scars of different shapes whose origin she couldn't place… All she felt was disgust.

He was her son, and she would always love him, regardless of whether he was running the Justine business or living his life as a mage. But what had been done to Freed… It was all Frances' fault. What he ingrained in their children, what he beat into them, how he wanted them to hate mages as much as he did… She had been so helpless over the years, and her lack of knowledge concerning everything outside of what Frances wanted her to know had caused her little boy to live through something so horrendous it made her stomach churn.

Freed curled in on himself when he was met with only silence, wrapping his arms around himself and using his hair to shield his body from everyone's sight. His head slowly lifted, and he forced his terrified, tormented gaze to lock onto his mother's face. What he saw there broke a part of him. He'd never wanted her to see what happened to him, and he never wanted anyone to look at him the way she was right then. "M-Mother…"

A choked sob spilled past her lips as tears welled in Freed's eyes. "I-I think I'm going to be sick…"

Lucy shot up from her seat as Freed's mother ran from the room, pulling her fiance into her arms. She didn't waste any time in trying to comfort him with words, and instead fixed his shirt so it was covering him properly again.

"Father," Christophe said as he turned back from the closing doors. "You… You should go after her…"

"What?" Frances asked with a frown.

"Go after her. You're her husband…" Christophe's brow drew together as Freed sniffled and the mages from Fairy Tail stood so they were surrounding him - each of them facing toward the table to give Lucy and Freed a small bit of privacy. "Don't you care that she's upset over what happened to Freed?"

Frances sat in silence, his wide eyes turning from his son toward where he could barely see Lucy putting Freed's jacket over his shoulders.

Christophe cursed under his breath and bolted from the room. If his father wasn't going to do anything to console his mother, then he would. He knew she needed someone to talk to, and she needed a shoulder to cry on. While he'd known more about what was happening than she did, she still needed someone.

"I'm right here, sweetheart," Lucy whispered, wrapping her arms around Freed's shuddering shoulders as his tears silently fell. A single look to their team told them everything she didn't need to say out loud. He needed some time alone.

Laxus nodded, watching as Lucy quietly pulled Freed toward the door with an arm still around him. His hardened eyes turned back to Frances, and after several silent minutes of watching the Justine head resting his head in his hands, mussing his hair as he clutched at the thinning emerald strands, he turned and made his way to the door with Bickslow and Evergreen in tow.

Lucy could remember the layout of the Justine estate like the back of her hand, and she already knew exactly where to take Freed so they could have some privacy. The same place they always spent their time when they were younger.

Freed found himself settled on a familiar couch, and the first sob broke free once Lucy placed his head on her chest. His heart ached with the knowledge that his mother was sickened by him, by what he looked like now. Appearances had never been important to the Rune mage, aside from ensuring he was clean and presentable as he'd been raised to do, but just the sight of what was done to him was enough to make her ill. If his mother couldn't bear to see what was left in the wake of his torture, how could he even begin to let anyone else see?

"It's alright," Lucy whispered, her fingers sifting through his hair while she carefully leaned against the arm of the couch. "I'm right here."

"I-I never w-wanted her to see…"

"I know, sweetie."

"B-But… Sh-She…"

"Shh," Lucy whispered, pressing her lips to his hair. "Don't worry about that right now, Freed. Just cry, okay? Let it all out." Tears welled in her own eyes when he completely broke down, his despairing wails only muffled once his face was buried against her neck. Freed's arms tightened around her, and Lucy instantly reciprocated. "That's it. Let it all out, sweetheart…"

* * *

The rest of their day was spent with Laxus, Bickslow, and Evergreen going into town until dinner. They had been to Oshibana several times before, but the atmosphere in the estate was too stifling for any of them to deal with.

Christophe was with Angela, consoling his mother and trying to help her see that things weren't as bad as her initial reaction. Freed was still alive, he was healthy, and he was happy. That was what was most important, and why Christophe had agreed in the first place to give up his apprenticeship to pursue taking over the business from Frances when the time came. Slowly, Angela was able to put into words just what she felt, and realized that her reaction to the evidence of Freed's tale had probably given him the wrong idea.

Frances locked himself in his study, not even allowing Marcus to come inside. There was nothing left for him to do, and he still had a business to run.

Lucy and Freed spent the day in the library, cuddled up together and reading once the Rune mage had calmed down again. He didn't need to say anything for Lucy to know why he'd reacted the way he did, and when he could finally get his voice to work well enough to verbalize it all, she had listened. Just like he'd needed her to do.

When it came time for dinner, everyone returned to the table and ate in relative silence. Until Angela asked that they stay the night so they could start the next day fresh. Her eyes locked with Freed's and a small, remorseful smile turned up the corners of her full lips. In that moment, he knew what Lucy had told him earlier in the day was true. His mother didn't hate him, and she wasn't sickened by  _him_ , but by what had happened to her child. Freed wanted to spend time with his mother more than ever, and staying another night would give him that opportunity.

No one had commented on the fact that Lucy moved her bag into Freed's room that night. And Mara made sure to knock before entering his room in the morning to make sure that the two were awake and decent.

It was the next day, however, that Frances called Freed, Christophe, and the Fairy Tail mages into his study. Just to chat, it seemed. Except, Angela pulled Lucy to the side just before she entered the room, giving Freed a sweet smile. "I would like to steal your fiancee for a little while, Freed."

"Of course, Mother," he chuckled, placing a chaste kiss on Lucy's cheek.

Angela's smile widened when she saw Lucy blush as Freed walked into Frances' study and closed the door. "Lucy, would you please come with me?" she asked quietly. "I… I have a favor to ask of you."

"Of course." The two women walked in silence out into the gardens, away from the view of the house. Lucy stopped and turned to Angela in front of the fountain she and Freed used to always sit at, instantly noticing her tense posture and the slight blush on her cheeks.

"I know this will seem like a strange request, but… I was wondering if I could speak with one of your… spirits."

A small frown pulled at Lucy's lips, but she still reached for her keys. "Sure. Is everything alright?"

"I-I didn't realize he  _was_  a spirit, but…" Angela's blush deepened and her fingers nervously fidgeted.

Surprise was etched on Lucy's face as realization hit. "You mean Loke…"

Angela nodded, watching as Lucy singled out a key and called forth the spirit of the Lion. Her eyes were wide and a hand flew to her lips on a gasp as she took in the same ginger hair, sunglasses, and dazzling smile she'd seen the morning before. "You… It's really you," she whispered in wonder.

Loke turned to Angela with a gentle, fond smile spreading over his face as he took a slow step closer to the older blonde. "Angela… You're just as beautiful as ever."

Lucy's jaw dropped open. "You two… know each other? How's that p-" She froze when Angela let out a quiet, coy laugh as Loke leaned down to press a tender kiss to her hand. "Oh god, no…" Really, this could  _not_  be happening. She didn't need to see this.

"Loke," Angela whispered. "You never told anyone about… what happened, did you?"

Loke stood to his full height and smirked while shaking his head. "No," he chuckled. "I kept it a secret, just as you asked."

Lucy's stomach churned when Loke pulled Freed's mother into his arms, and she forced herself to look away as their lips met. The quiet moan from her future mother-in-law was much harder to ignore.  _"I'll give you two some time to… talk,"_  she silently told Loke before walking away to a small copse of trees on the other side of the fountain, where she wouldn't be able to see or hear them. Hopefully.

Angela sighed and wrapped her arms around Loke as their lips separated. "I can't do this anymore," she whispered sadly. "I've kept quiet for so long, and now…"

"You know, I told you almost thirty years ago that you should have left him," Loke sighed. "He was never good enough for you, Angie."

"And what would I have done about the boys?" she asked. "They needed a father, and I couldn't run away with  _you_ … No matter how much I wanted to."

"You could have taken them to my master at the time. He loved you, Angela. He didn't have much money, but you would have been happy." Loke hadn't found out that his master back then had loved Angela until after they had already slept together on and off for several months. It was part of the reason that Loke had stopped seeing her to begin with. The last thing he'd wanted was to come between Baelin and Angela, even though the man had told him that she would never want to be with someone like himself - a simple, poor Celestial mage that only had his heart to offer her.

"I would have lost the boys. And everything else. I couldn't leave Frances. They needed their father."

"Knowing what I do now, I'm calling bullshit," he said with a frown. "Your sons needed parents that  _loved_  them. You were terrified of Frances lashing out at you as well, and you stayed because of fear. But, you weren't happy…" He let out a quiet sigh as Angela shrunk in on herself, then pulled her head to his chest. "You came to me so many times over the years, crying about your marriage… And…"

"And using your body to forget about everything else," she whispered in shame.

Loke smiled and hooked a finger under her chin. "I don't regret a moment of it," he said tenderly, his lips brushing over hers.

"I had an affair though. And… You aren't the only one." She winced as she thought about just how many men she'd had an affair with over the years. "When you disappeared, I needed to find someone to care about me… That took care of my needs…" Slowly, she pulled herself from his comforting embrace, wiping the welling tears from her eyes. "And now… What Frances has done… H-He hurt my little boy…"

"They're grown up now, Angela. What's keeping you here?"

"I-I have nowhere to go if I leave… I'll lose everything."

"So, you'd stay," Loke mused, "Even though you're not happy… Because you wouldn't be in high society?"

"No. Well… I-I don't know. I married Frances when I was sixteen. It was an arranged marriage, and… I grew to love him."

Loke's eyes narrowed and he moved to stand in front of the blonde as she tried to turn her back on him. "Don't lie to yourself, Angela. This isn't love. And even if you do love him, do you really think he loves you? Would he do the things he's done if he loved you?"

The day before instantly sprang to mind. She had been so upset with Frances over what his warped views had done to Avery, but she had still wanted him to come to her. She wanted to hear an apology for what he'd had a hand in doing, but he never came. Tears freely trickled down her blotchy cheeks as her heart clenched.

She was in a loveless marriage, and had forced her heart to open to a man that had never truly cared for her. Regardless of the fact that she was born to high society, and that their marriage had been arranged since she and Frances were infants, he had never really cared. He never loved her, even though she had given him three children, supported him through every endeavor. When Frances was more than stressed over something to do with the business, she was by his side. For thirty years, they had been together, but now… She hadn't even shared a bed with him for the past fifteen years. Not even to sleep. "What do I do…"

Loke gave the crying woman a sad smile as he pulled her back into his arms. "You pack up what you need, take some money, and leave," he whispered. "You deserve better than this. It's time you started thinking about what's best for yourself."

"I-I'm scared," she cried.

"Don't be. You can do this." He paused for only a moment, a sly grin lifting the corners of his mouth while he shifted to whisper in her ear. "I'll get in contact with Baelin. He got rid of my key about fifteen years ago, but I know where he is." He wasn't going to tell Angela that Baelin had tried to marry, and it had failed miserably just after the woman got pregnant - that she'd left, and he only ever got to see his son once every couple years. That man had only ever had eyes for one woman, and nothing had been able to pull his heart from the one he'd given it to.

She pulled back sharply with a gasp."B-Baelin! You mean…"

His grin widened and he nodded. "The boy you fell for in the marketplace when you snuck out of your parents' house." The day he'd heard that story was when he realized that Angela was the same woman his then-master had fallen in love with before he'd gotten the Zodiac leader's key. A woman he'd been forced to let go, to watch as she was married off to a pompous ass that never truly appreciated her. Over the years, Loke had kept in contact with the man, so he already knew just where to find him. "He still loves you, Angela. He always has."

"A-And he'd… He'd still have me? Even after all these years…"

"I know he would. You were the only one for him, but he understood that you couldn't be together because of your family."

"Where is he?" she asked urgently. She had wanted more than anything to just run away with the sweet blue-haired teen she'd met two months before her marriage to Frances. He was so alluring, so exotic. He'd made her smile in ways she hadn't known possible. Even after all this time, she still held tightly to the love she'd felt their first night together, when she'd given him the only gift she possibly could the night before her wedding.

"I'll go see him once I leave here," Loke chuckled. "And I'll let him know that you might be needing a place to stay…"

Angela shook her head with a trembling smile. "L-Loke…"

"I'll escort you there myself, but we'll need to wait until after Lucy and Freed have left," he added thoughtfully. "I don't want Frances thinking that they had anything to do with this."

"Of course!"

He smiled at the brilliant, gleaming joy in her eyes. "And once you're settled… You let your sons know where you are. I'm sure Freed will want you to be at the wedding, regardless of what happens with you and Frances."

She couldn't help but let out a watery laugh as he dabbed at her cheeks with a handkerchief. "I wouldn't miss his wedding for the world. Especially when Lucy will be his bride."

Loke chuckled and placed his handkerchief in her hand, then closed his fist between them. "When you're ready," he whispered as a soft golden glow surrounded his hand. He slowly opened it to reveal a small golden lion brooch, and continued as he pinned it to the lapel of her blouse. "Rub your finger over this, and picture me. You'll need to call out to me, but…" He chuckled again, a small flush dusting his cheeks. "You'll have to call me 'Leo the Lion', and not Loke."

She sniffled while her fingers brushed over his where they rested on the brooch. "Leo the Lion," she whispered reverently. A wide smile stretched across her face as she looked into his eyes again. "Thank you…"

Loke sighed as his lips pressed lightly against her cheek. "It's the least I can do, Angela."

The older woman's smile stayed in place as Loke rested her hand in the crook of his elbow and led her to where Lucy had gone. As they walked, she took in just how little he had changed in the decades since she'd last seen him. "Celestial spirits really do not age, do they?"

"We do," he laughed. "Just much slower than humans. Three months for you is only a day for me." Once they were standing next to Lucy again, he gave both women a warm smile. "I'll take my leave now, unless…"

"No, Loke," Lucy laughed with a roll of her eyes. "I haven't changed my mind. I won't run away and elope with you, no matter how much you profess your undying love for me."

Loke simply shrugged. "It was worth a shot." He pressed one last lingering kiss on Angela's cheek, then whispered, "Don't tell anyone about this. I'll tell Lucy about it all once you're with Baelin. I'll see you soon."

Angela nodded in silence, smiling as the Lion spirit pulled away and gave Lucy a hug before disappearing in a gentle shower of glittering gold. As they walked back toward the house, she glanced at her son's fiancee, nervously chewing her lower lip.

"I won't tell Frances what I saw," Lucy said. "Or heard. That's none of my business."

Angela sighed in relief. After another moment of silence, a slow smirk turned up one corner of her mouth. "So, Loke professes his undying love for you?"

Lucy jolted as she looked to the older woman, a deep flush crossing her cheeks. That is, until she saw the playful smile on her face. With a heavy, dramatic sigh, she nodded. "Every time I see him," she lamented. "You save a guy's life, and he just falls in love with you, apparently."

Angela looped her arm around Lucy's as they continued walking, just as she and Layla had done countless times. It was almost as though her dearest friend was right there with her again. "Well, it seems that is how Freed fell for you," she laughed. "You might need to be more careful about saving men."

"I think I might," Lucy giggled in return, naturally laying her head on Angela's shoulder. They walked into the house just as Freed was getting ready to come outside to find her. "Speak of the demon."

Freed blushed, ducking his head to hide his smile. "The proverb is 'Speak of the Devil'," he chuckled.

"True, but you aren't a devil." She smiled in return and laced their fingers together. "You're my handsome demon."

Angela's eyes softened as she watched Lucy tuck herself into Freed's side, how the two interacted. That was what she'd wanted her whole life, what she'd had for such a short time with Baelin, and never experienced in her time with Frances. Love. True love had bloomed between her son and the blonde Celestial mage. It was a mother's one true wish, for her child to find happiness. And thankfully, Freed and Lucy had found that in one another, even without the memories they had shared as children. And it was clear to her right then that the return of their memories only strengthened the bond they shared.

"And you are my beautiful angel," Freed whispered. His gaze lifted to his mother's smiling face, and he paused when he saw tears in her eyes. "But, I have interrupted your time together. My sincerest apologies, Mother."

Angela shook her head and dabbed at her eyes with the handkerchief Loke had left with her. "Nonsense, dear," she laughed. "I would love to spend time with all of you. Including your friends from your guild. I want to know everything that I have missed."

"That will take a  _long_  time," Freed and Lucy laughed in unison.

* * *

Lucy walked out of the bathroom and settled herself under the blanket, instantly curling up to Freed's side as he read one of the many books she'd given him for Christmas. Now that they were back at home, there was something that she wanted to talk to him about. It just hadn't seemed appropriate while they were still at his family's estate. "Freed?"

"Yes…"

"I need to talk to you."

"Just a moment."

Lucy smiled and pressed her lips to his throat, watching as his eyes darted from one side to the other as he read the last few sentences on the page. Once they focused on her, with him settling a bookmark on the next page to mark his place, she sighed into the tender kiss he gave her.

"This book is rather riveting," he commented with a small smile. "Thank you."

A light dusting of pink crossed her cheeks. "You're welcome, sweetie."

"But, about what did you wish to speak with me?"

And that was when Lucy's brow pinched, her smile fading in an instant. "Well, I told your mom that I wouldn't tell Frances, but… I saw something, and I feel like someone should know."

"You can tell me anything."

"You won't tell your dad, will you?"

"If you are telling me this in confidence, then I will not."

Lucy sighed and wrapped an arm around his bare, scarred waist. "Well, yesterday… when your mom asked me to go somewhere, she… um…"

"Did she say something to you?" he asked with a frown.

"No, nothing like that," she whispered. "She asked me to call out Loke. Um… I guess she recognized him from, uh… A long time ago?"

"That is rather odd."

"Yeah, well…" Another heavy sigh passed her lips. "They may have… kissed. And, I guess they were, uh…"

"Oh," Freed muttered, his arm winding around the blonde and pulling her closer. "You mean my mother was intimate with Loke in the past."

Lucy nodded, looking up at Freed's solemn face and cringing. "Yeah. I didn't know what to do, so I just let them talk in private. She was smiling afterwards though."

"Lucy," Freed sighed, lightly kissing her forehead. "I already know that my mother has been unfaithful. It is rather common in high society, you know." When Lucy blinked in surprise, he gave her a sad smile. "Not all couples are like Jude and Layla. My parents have not shared a bed as husband and wife, let alone slept in the same room since a few years after Avery was born."

Her frown deepened as she thought about just what Freed was telling her. "Does your father know, though?"

"Most likely, no," Freed sighed, his hand running up and down her back. "He never gives her much in the way of attention. Christophe and I were aware of it before I left to join the guild, and we both agreed that, as long as she found a way to smile, we would not say anything."

"Oh…"

"Is something the matter?"

"Well," she mumbled. "I just don't understand why she would stay with Frances after you guys grew up. I know divorces are looked down on in high society, but-"

"That is the reason," Freed said as he placed the book on his nightstand. "Their marriage was arranged, and my parents do come from an older generation. It was not until recently that women were even allowed to initiate a divorce in the first place, and any complaints of abuse or the like were always swept under the rug before any evidence could come forth."

"I don't like it," Lucy whispered, shifting so they could lie down together. Her head rested on the pillow next to his, and her fingers instantly sought out the blonde and green strands of his hair. "It just seems wrong. Angela should be happy…"

"And I feel much the same way," Freed whispered. "But there is nothing we can do about that. She is rather stubborn, sometimes. And if she thinks that there is no way to be free of my father, to pursue what she truly wants, then nothing will change her mind." He watched in silence as Lucy nibbled her lower lip, getting lost in thought, then grinned as he carefully pulled the poor, abused bit of skin from between her teeth. "Now, as much as I enjoy this conversation about my mother's nightly romps with men that are not my father…"

Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I would much rather discuss something else."

"What might that be?" she gasped as he nipped at her lips.

"I-" Freed blinked in surprise as a brilliant flash of light filled the bedroom, then slowly turned his head to find Loke grinning down at himself and Lucy.

"Loke…" Lucy hissed with narrowed eyes.

"Lucy, you wound me," Loke chuckled. "I swear, I wasn't trying to be a pervert. I just wanted to give you and Freed the news. I promised that I would."

"What news?" Freed asked as he pulled the blanket a little higher over his chest. He knew that Loke had no issues with seeing his scars, but that small bit of trepidation from his mother's reaction had stuck with him. Much longer than he wanted.

"Angela has officially left Frances," Loke beamed. "I've just dropped her off with one of my old masters, and she'll be contacting you and Lucy to let you know where she's at now."

"Sh-She left him?" Freed gasped, sitting up quickly and forgetting all about his recent reticence over his bare skin. "How? When…"

Loke's eyes softened while he sat on the foot of the bed. "Your mother was never happy with Frances, and I gave her a way to leave him. I swear, I didn't force her to do anything she didn't already want to do. What happened to you, because of what he did to Avery, was what tipped the scales though."

"She can't forgive him," Lucy whispered as she started to put the pieces together.

Loke nodded. "There was never love between those two. But, now she has a chance at that."

"With whom is my mother staying?" Freed asked quietly.

A fond smile crinkled the corners of the Lion spirit's eyes in a way Lucy had never seen before, making him - for the briefest of moments - seem much older than he appeared. "His name is Baelin," he replied. "And he's the one that made Frances hate mages."

"Do I even want to know how?" Lucy whispered.

Loke shrugged. "Probably not."

"I do," Freed said firmly.

Loke shrugged again, pulling off his glasses and cleaning them with a handkerchief. "Angela apparently slept with Baelin the night before her wedding to your father. He found out that they had been seeing one another for several months in secrecy, and Baelin agreed to leave town so that nothing would happen to her. He did stay for the wedding though, and just hid so no one could see him."

"What do you mean, 'nothing would happen to her'?" Lucy asked.

"I mean, Frances was willing to blackmail her family and out her as being impure at the time of their vows. He would have taken everything from them, and Angela would have become…"

"Untouchable," Freed supplied, his eyes wide and a sudden chill sweeping over him.

"Yep," Loke sighed. "So, Baelin left to make sure she was taken care of."

After a moment of silence, while the two let everything set in, Lucy finally said, "Loke, if Baelin's still alive… Why aren't you…"

"Oh, he gave my key up in X776," Loke sighed. He wasn't going to go into all the details on exactly why his key had been given away, mainly because he was sworn to keep it a secret, but he could tell part of the truth. "He wasn't much for fighting, and he couldn't keep me out for long on his own power. So, he found another Celestial mage and gave my key to her, that way…" He grinned as he looked at the blonde. "I could travel the world and meet all kinds of lovely women."

Lucy rolled her eyes and shook her head, a small smile playing across her lips. "Of course your key went to a woman. I bet you were over the moon."

"Oh, most definitely," Loke chuckled. He turned to Freed then, and his voice grew more serious. "Angela wanted me to also tell you that she's sorry for not trying to stop what happened before, what she knew was happening. And she hopes that she'll still be able to attend your wedding, even though she won't be with your father."

"She was never to blame," Freed whispered, looking down at where Lucy held his hand. "My brothers and I cared more about protecting her than ourselves. And, as for the wedding…" He smiled then when he saw the engagement ring on Lucy's finger. "I doubt we would be able to have one without her there."

"Exactly," Lucy nodded, kissing the Rune mage's cheek.

"Well," Loke sighed as he stood up. "I've done my job then. You two have a wonderful night."

Lucy smiled as the flirtatious spirit kissed her cheek. "You, too."

As he started to disappear, Loke's smile grew more devious. "Don't forget to use protection," he teased. "I'm not ready to be Uncle Loke yet." The instant flushes on both Lucy's and Freed's faces, and the fact that they were darker than the Rune mage's signature jacket, was more than worth it as he finally disappeared in a gentle shower of glittering motes of light.

"He… just said that," Lucy said absently.

"He did."

"Wow…"

"... Lucy?"

She slowly turned to look at her fiance, her eyes wide and her lips parted in shock. "Y-Yeah?"

Freed's expression was a mirror of hers. Finally he shook his head, blinking slowly while looking down at the bedspread. "I… I have no words…"

"Wow…"

"Precisely."


	22. Our Happily Ever After

The months following their return from the Justine estate flew more quickly than either Freed or Lucy had realized. They'd been in contact with Angela through letters, but hadn't found the time to go and visit her with the man she was living with, Baelin. Freed did, however, receive a letter from Baelin himself, stating that he would be sure to care for Angela. From what the Rune mage could tell, this man was trying to reassure him that his mother was in good hands. That she was happy.

Freed wanted to believe that his mother had really found happiness, but he wasn't going to believe it until he saw her at the wedding.

"Freed," Lucy called out as she walked inside with the mail in her hands.

"Study," he called back with a smirk. He lifted his gaze from the thick tome he'd started reading just that morning to see his fiancee carrying a large package and dropping the rest of the mail on the corner of his desk. "What is this?"

"Not a clue," she answered. A small smile pulled up her lips when Freed leaned back in his chair, giving her a silent invitation to have a seat on his lap. "It's addressed to both of us. As far as I can tell, it's from Frances."

He shook his head once Lucy was seated, her legs off to one side and the package in her lap. She opened the package slowly, and the two peered inside to find a large manila envelope settled on top of a thin layer of silver tissue paper.

Lucy shrugged and opened the envelope, blinking in shock at the packet of information sitting within it, as well as the letter written in Frances' hand.

"What is it?" Freed asked softly.

She cleared her throat, tears coming to her eyes as she read the letter to Freed.

_Freed and Lucy,  
It has been two months since we've last spoken, and I wanted to extend to you both an invitation. Although you have forgiven me for what has happened in the past, I still feel as though it falls to me to make amends in some way._

_Angela has left me, as I am sure you are both aware. I do not know where she has gone, and no one will tell me, but I do hope she is safe. Life is lonely without her here, and each time I sit at the table and see that she is no longer with me, knowing that she ran from me because of what I have done, my heart aches. I love her, and I always have, but I was not the man she deserved. I know that now, and I accept that it is too late to change anything._

_Angela's departure has caused me to reassess things in life once again. The first time was when you, Lucy, came to retrieve Freed. I knew once the two of you left that things needed to change, and I started trying to decide just where I should start. With Angela gone, however, I am finally seeing just how much pain I have caused with my close-mindedness and hatred._

_It is because of these turns in life that I am offering you the only thing I can. I know that you, Freed, do not want to run the business. I have accepted that, and Christophe is doing well in his role of taking over for me when the time comes. I dare say, he may be better suited for this than I had imagined. You do not want my assistance in life, and that is something else that I must accept. I cannot force anything on the two of you, and I do not wish to._

_My wish is to give you a gift. Something to make up for the pain I have caused; although, I know that the damage is not something that can be mended with trivial baubles. If you do not wish to accept my offer, I will understand. The choice is yours, entirely._

_Your wedding is coming up at some point in the future. Lucy, I remember you saying that you both were planning on sometime this December, but that you hadn't decided yet. Regardless of when it is, I would like to help you both by giving you the wedding you deserve. You will have all of my resources at your disposal. It was my decision in the past that ripped the two of you from each other's lives, and repeatedly over the years. Even though I have returned your memories, I still feel that I should do something more. This is the only conclusion I came to._

_Should you need anything for the wedding, assistance in planning, contact information for planners and event coordinators, or even just money to cover the expenses, please do not hesitate to contact me. There is no point to having money and prestige if I cannot use it to help someone else, and the two of you are more than deserving of having everything you wish for in life._

_While you may not have accepted my offer, I hope you will at least allow me to do this much. In this package are four hundred wedding invitations, ready for the information to be written in. I did not know how many guests you would want to invite, but I can only assume that you both have an overwhelming amount of friends that would be honored to attend your wedding. One of my associates has informed me, Freed, that Rune magic can be used to write multiple things at once, so might I suggest using your magic for these once you and Lucy have agreed on the required details?_

_Along with the invitations are the laws on marriage in Fiore, certain things you will need to ensure are handled so that your marriage is not nullified. I have gathered the forms necessary and placed them with this letter, to help take some of the stress off of this affair._

_I hope to hear from you both, even if it is not in regards to your wedding. My actions have cost me the love of my life, and my youngest son. That Christophe is still by my side amazes me. I do not wish to lose you as well, Freed._

_Regards,  
Frances Justine_

Freed chuckled quietly while brushing the tears from Lucy's cheeks. "Regards," he whispered. "My father is still painfully formal on occasion."

Lucy sniffled and nodded, a smile blooming on her lips. "Maybe, but I think that's as close as we'll get to getting an 'I love you' out of him in a letter."

"Most likely." He looked back down to the box as Lucy set the papers off to the side. "Would you like to see what he sent?"

"I guess," she said uncomfortably. "I don't know what we'll do about his offer though. It seems kind of wrong to use his money like that."

"Yes, and we do not necessarily need the assistance, financially."

After a deep breath, Lucy shook her head. "We'll think about it, how about that?" she asked, looking to Freed's tenderly smiling face.

"I agree." He motioned for the blonde to move the silver tissue paper, then lifted an intrigued brow when she gasped and pulled one of the invitations from the box. Deep red cardstock held a piece of vellum affixed to it with a simple silver ribbon.

 _The honour of your presence  
is requested  
at the marriage of  
Lucille Beatrix Heartfilia  
to  
_ _Frédéric Henri Tristan Beauregard Justine_

The rest was left blank for the date and location of the wedding, as well as the reception.

"Of course he would put my full name on this," Freed muttered with a frown.

"Freed," Lucy giggled, "You're name isn't that bad."

"You have a hard time remembering all of it," he pouted. "I do not know what came over my father when he named me."

"If it's any consolation, my whole name is there too," she laughed. "No one knows that name."

"It is doubtful that anyone we invited would know who was getting married…"

"So, why don't you use your runes to fix the names?" Lucy asked. "Frances was trying to be helpful, and really… This is helpful. Ever and I couldn't decide what to do for the invitations."

"You haven't even decided on the day or venue," Freed laughed, taking the card from Lucy's hand and placing it - and the box - on the floor. His arms wrapped more tightly around her waist. "Yet you two are discussing the invitations?"

"Not anymore," Lucy grinned, her own arms winding around his neck so her fingers could tease the hairs on the nape of his neck. "Will you change the names?"

"You do realize that the officiant will have to say our names during the ceremony," Freed cringed.

"I think we'll survive."

He smirked as she tenderly kissed one corner of his lips. "Then… Yes, if it makes things easier for you, I will change them." His head turned and he captured her lips in a tender caress, letting his fingers glide over the silken skin of her outer thigh. God, he loved the summer and all the shorts and skirts Lucy wore because of the warmer weather.

"Did you think about where you want to do this?" Lucy asked, giggling as his kisses grew more insistent.

"The desk is fine," Freed muttered against her lips.

"I meant the wedding, Freed."

"I have," he said quickly. Lucy turned in his lap to straddle him, and the Rune mage hummed once his hands smoothed over her rounded backside. "Talk later?"

Lucy rolled her eyes in mock exasperation, a smile still on her lips. Well, as much of one as she could make while Freed continued kissing her. "Yeah. Talk later." A shrill squeal of laughter came barreling up her throat as Freed vaulted to his feet and laid her out on the desk, his lips leaving hers only to travel to her jaw and throat. Yeah, the wedding plans could be put off for a little longer.

* * *

Freed walked into the house with Laxus just behind him, both of their arms filled with grocery bags. The two made their way to the kitchen, and he paused in putting away the groceries when he heard a few soft notes being plucked on the piano keys in the study.

"Lucy's playing again?" Laxus chuckled.

"It appears so," Freed said with a soft smile. "She has been playing more since our memories were returned."

Laxus looked to the wall that separated them from the blonde, listening intently for whatever it was she might be playing that day. A few notes were played, then there was a long pause before a chord sounded out. Then another, and another. "What song is it?"

"I haven't a clue," Freed replied. "I think she may be writing music again."

"Wait, Lucy writes music?"

He nodded, leaning back on the counter while Laxus put away the last of the groceries. Normally, Freed would have insisted that Laxus simply relax while he did the work, but the blond Slayer was oddly adamant about helping. "Yes," he answered. "She has only written one song, for her mother, but stopped when Layla died and…"

"And when the two of you were split up," Laxus finished, frowning as Freed nodded. "That shit really did a number on her, huh?"

"On both of us," Freed said. "But we are managing." He smiled when light footsteps drew their attention to the hall, seeing the blonde in question appear not a moment later. Once she was in his arms, after giving Laxus a hug, Freed pressed his lips to her golden hair. "Hello, Lucy."

"Hey, sexy," she smiled. "You guys really did the grocery shopping?"

"Yeah we did," Laxus muttered. "What are you planning on cooking all that food for? That's easily twice as much as you normally get."

"Frances and Christophe are coming for a visit in a little bit," Lucy said happily. "The wedding is happening in a month, and we wanted to thank Frances for helping out with so much for it." The choice had been an easy one after Freed had finished adjusting their names on the wedding invitations. It was obvious that Frances wanted to help, and when Lucy had thought about it, she realized that it was the perfect way for Freed and his father to really start reconnecting. Frances could show that he was trying to be the father he should have been all along, and they could all work on getting closer to one another, to eventually be the family they should have been from the start.

"And by helping out, you mean indulging Evergreen and letting you come along for the ride," Laxus chuckled.

"I  _tried_  to control them," Lucy pouted. "I think he's as bad as Ever…"

"Lucy," Freed chuckled. "You must remember, this is my father. He has already asked to allow several high society families attend, and since we agreed…"

"I know, it means he has to put on a show for them."

"Do you think that's why he offered to do the wedding for you guys? So he could show off some more?" Laxus frowned, sticking his tongue out at Lucy when she smacked his hand away from the bunch of bananas he'd set on the counter.

"No," Lucy answered. "Christophe was apparently the one that mentioned the other members of high society last week, saying that they would probably be pretty put out if they weren't invited."

"It's your damn wedding," Laxus shrugged. "You can invite whoever the hell you want."

"True, but I'm marrying into the Justine family," Lucy sighed, smiling as Freed kissed her cheek.

"Yes, marrying me does have a string or two attached," he chuckled. "Even though I am not taking over the business, I am still, technically, the eldest. I do hope you won't be too discouraged by the prospect of dealing with those people."

"Nope, you're stuck with me for good…  _Frédéric Henri Tristan Beauregard Justine_ …"

His head dropped to her shoulder as Laxus snickered in the background. "Why did you have to remember it?" he grumbled.

"It's my job as your wife-to-be."

"It's also her job to embarrass the shit outta you, man," Laxus laughed. "Your poor, poor name…"

"You're one to talk," Lucy smirked.

"Shut the fuck up, Blondie."

"Ah, yes," Freed sighed wistfully . "Laxus-"

"Shut up, Freed!"

"- Magnus Dreyar," Freed finished.

"Yeah,  _Magnus_ ," Lucy taunted. "Love the condoms, by the way."

"Those are Magnums," he shot back. "I should know."

"Yes," Freed coughed. "It seems there were a mistake in writing your name on the birth certificate."

"At least I can say my full name in one breath," Laxus muttered. "And sis… Your middle name is fucking  _Beatrix_ …"

"It's decided," Lucy sighed, shaking her head. "Our parents were smoking some serious shit when they decided on names."

"I think Bickslow is the only one in the Raijinshuu with a normal name," Freed mused as the front door opened.

"With the exception of his first name?" Lucy giggled.

"Andrew Bishop Miller," came the loud voice of the Seith mage from down the hall, instantly echoed by the souls that constantly followed him around. He rounded the corner with Evergreen just behind him, grinning at the other members of the team. "Bickslow's just a nickname."

When Lucy's jaw dropped and she looked toward Evergreen, the Fairy mage laughed and rolled her eyes. "Evangelina Rosalia Green."

"Really, Ever?" Lucy giggled. "Ev. R. Green?"

She shrugged in response. "It makes more sense than the insanity that Bix came up with."

"I really don't even remember how that shit came about," he chuckled. "My old man knows, though."

"Speaking of old men," Laxus laughed. "Guests are here."

Lucy perked up and grinned deviously. "Ever, get your camera out. This is gonna be hilarious."

"Oh god," Evergreen snickered. "I love you and your sick, sick brain."

"Lucy, what are you planning?" Freed asked, eying the blonde warily.

"Nothing  _too_  nefarious," she whispered, kissing the tip of his nose before rushing out of the kitchen with Evergreen hot on her heels.

The male members of the Raijinshuu followed behind them, curiously watching as Lucy threw the door open and rushed out onto the porch, then launched herself at Christophe just as he was about to knock. The two fell to the ground, with Lucy laughing and Frances staring at them with wide eyes.

Evergreen held her camera up and snapped several pictures, resulting in a play-by-play of Frances slowly wilting to the ground when Lucy sat up with Christophe and he was gifted with the sight of her cleavage pressed to his middle child's chest.

"Oh my god," Bickslow cackled.

"This is ridiculous," Freed sighed, still smirking when his brother collapsed a moment later.

"You're one to talk, man," Laxus chuckled, nudging Freed's side.

"I am at least able to get Lucy completely naked before I pass out from blood loss," Freed sniffed, brushing past the hulking blond - whose mouth was hanging open in shock - to lift his father from the ground and take him inside.

"Best greeting ever," Bickslow sighed, shaking his head.

"Dude," Laxus whispered. "I'm pretty sure Freed just told me he's got a huge dick…"

"Freed?" Bickslow laughed. "No way."

"He did," Lucy said with a wicked grin as she and Evergreen brought Christophe inside, passing by the two men. "And he does."

"I didn't need that mental picture," Laxus and Bickslow said in unison, visibly shuddering.

* * *

Freed sighed softly while making his way to the kitchen in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. His father and brother were fast asleep in Laxus's and Bickslow's spare rooms - with the rest of the Raijinshuu having gone to their own homes for the night - and Lucy was sleeping peacefully. He couldn't explain just what it was that had made him wake up, but he'd decided that a glass of water wouldn't be a horrible idea.

He paused once he reached the hallway just next to the kitchen, frowning when he saw the light in the study was on. He was sure he'd turned it off before they retired for the night, and he couldn't recall anyone going in there before then.

Completely forgetting his original reason for coming downstairs, Freed made his way to the study, slowly pushing the door open to peer inside. The lamp on the piano was on and one of Lucy's spirits was standing beside it with a quiet smile on her face.

"I was hoping you'd come down here," she whispered.

"Is everything alright, Lyra?" Freed asked softly.

"Oh, everything is fine. But, I wanted to do something special for you and Lucy." Her smile widened as Gemini appeared, the twin spirits turning into his fiancèe wearing nothing but a towel.

"Hello, Gemini," Freed nodded. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Gemi-Lucy giggled softly and looked toward the piano. "We heard from Lyra that Lucy was struggling to finish the music she was writing. So, we came out and finished for her."

"I do not know if she would appreciate that," Freed frowned.

"Gemini can access Lucy's memories," Lyra said. "And is, for the most part, just like her. So, I asked them to come out and finish the song, just as Lucy would. It's really beautiful."

Freed glanced at the sheet music on the stand, then slowly walked over to look at it. The notes drawn at the end were identical to the ones from the beginning, just as though Lucy really had done it all. "This is… amazing," he whispered. "She really wrote this?"

"Yes," Gemi-Lucy nodded. "She wrote all of it. Really, it already had an ending…" The twin spirits pointed to a section of the music that was only a few bars before where it ended. "We just added a couple things to round it out, since that's where she was heading with it before second-guessing herself."

"Lucy was just being hard on herself," Lyra sighed happily.

"This is for a full orchestra," Freed whispered. "And a piano?"

"She writes for the piano," Lyra replied. "I think the orchestra came later."

"Why did you have Gemini finish this?" he asked, still following the score as the notes danced along the page.

"I was hoping," Lyra said hesitantly, "That maybe you could dance to this at your wedding? She wrote it for you…"

Freed blinked in surprise again, staring with wide eyes at the spirits before him. "Wh-What?"

Gemi-Lucy smiled gently at Freed, the eye patch over her eye still opaque because the spirits couldn't mimic the magic in her eye, and took his hands in hers. "Our princess wrote this because of you, Freed. It's what she thinks of every time she sees you. And we think she was able to write this because she remembers your childhood now."

Lyra pulled out a stack of papers, gently placing them in the stunned Rune mage's hands. "I made a copy of the score," she said softly. "And there are a couple of side notes for performing that Gemini told me Lucy had in mind."

"Oh," Gemi-Lucy giggled. "And don't tell Lucy about it. Make it a surprise."

Freed shook his head, a breathless laugh leaving him. "Thank you, both," he whispered. "I should get back to bed before Lucy realizes I have left."

The spirits watched Freed walk out of the study, smiling as they turned off the light and shimmered back to the Spirit Realm.

Freed silently carried the score up to the second floor, pausing in the doorway to the master bedroom when he saw Lucy soundly sleeping. He continued down the hall to Laxus' room, where his father was sleeping, and slinked inside.

Frances' eyes slid open after several gentle nudges from his eldest son, and he frowned in confusion at the wide grin on Freed's face. "Freed?"

"I have a favor to ask of you, Father," Freed whispered, clutching the music to his chest.

* * *

Lucy was nervous as she stood in front of the full-length mirror, staring at her wedding gown and the seamstress that was fixing the hem at her feet. Since waking up that morning with Freed already having left their shared room at the Justine estate, she had been nervous.

This was it. They were finally getting married, and she really couldn't have been happier about it. And still, she was scared out of her mind. She and Freed were getting  _married_. They were finally taking the next step in their relationship, and even though everything had moved so quickly for them in the beginning, this was one thing they'd taken their time with. Well, to a point.

Once Lucy had decided she was ready to start planning, and had allowed Evergreen and Frances to help her, things had just gone so smoothly, and so quickly, that she hardly knew what to do with herself.

"You look beautiful, Miss Lucy," the seamstress smiled up at the blushing bride.

"Th-Thanks," she whispered back.

"Nervous?"

She nodded, letting out a slow breath and shaking out her hands. She knew there was nothing to be afraid of. And she knew for a fact that Freed was already at the altar, waiting for her to show up. Then again, this would be the one time that fate would decide to rain on her parade, she was sure. The blonde had gone an entire year, and then some, without being kidnapped or anything else. It was bound to happen again, and if any day would be the prime day for it, Lucy was positive her wedding day was the one.

Then again, maybe she was just being paranoid.

"Well, that's completely normal, dear," the seamstress said, her wrinkled face crinkling further in a kind smile. "I can tell you, I thought my skin was going to crawl right off my body the day I married my Artie."

Lucy glanced down as the older woman took her hands and gently squeezed them, seeing the worn, golden ring on her left hand. "How long have you been married?"

"Sixty-five years, and counting," she laughed. "And I think, if I was marrying him again today, I'd still be just as nervous."

With another slow, steadying breath, Lucy turned back to the mirror as she was left alone in the room. The dress was perfect, just the way she'd wanted it.

What had started out as a strapless, backless white ball gown with a sweetheart neckline had been modified - at her request - to have sheer material stretching up over her shoulders, and down her arms and back. Lucy had considered going strapless, but because of the fact that there were some high society people there, and that she just loved the way it looked with the extra fabric, she decided to be a little more modest for a change.

To make it pop a little more, she'd had small silver beading details sewn into the sheer material and over the bodice.

The only thing she didn't really like about it was the train. That had been Evergreen, all the way, and Frances hadn't helped matters in the slightest. Lucy was a practical person, and the only time the three had disagreed on anything concerning the wedding was her dress.

Then again, Lucy supposed she would be able to deal with the two feet of extra fabric since she had downright overruled them when it came to her wearing heels. This dress  _and_  heels was a deathtrap. She wouldn't make it past the vows before falling and breaking her neck.

At the small knock on the door, Lucy bit her lip and nodded in determination. She wanted to marry Freed, and really… It was just a case of butterflies. She was excited to marry her best friend, and as she took the final steps toward the door, Lucy was finding that the butterflies were only making her more willing to get down to the altar.

She opened the door and came face to face with the maid that was to lead her downstairs, and gave the young woman a gentle smile once the bouquet of pale pink roses was handed to her. They walked in silence down the halls leading to where the wedding would be taking place. Namely, the grand staircase that led from the gardens in the west wing up to the ballroom where they were having the reception.

Lucy stopped just short of the doors that would lead her to the aisle stretching across the lawn, between the two rows of seats that were already filled with guests. She could see through the panes of glass in the doors that everything was just as it should be. Freed was standing at the top of the stairs with Bickslow and Christophe at his side. Evergreen, Mira and Cana were already situated on the other side, and all that was missing was the bride.

And then she frowned. There was a space right next to Freed that should have had his best friend and her surrogate brother standing there.

"You didn't think I'd miss your wedding, did you?" Laxus whispered into the blonde's ear, grinning when Lucy nearly screeched in terror.

"L-Laxus!"

"Damn, you look beautiful, little sis." He sighed as her blush deepened, looking from her elegant updo, pinned with a simple tiara and veil that wasn't pulled down over her face yet, down to what had to be, hands down, the perfect fucking dress for her. Lucy was more covered that normal, sure, but she looked like a damn princess in every sense of the word.

"Thanks," she whispered. "But, shouldn't you be up there? Y'know, since you're Freed's best man and everything."

"Yeah, but my kin's about to walk down the aisle with no one to give her away," Laxus smirked, lifting his hands and carefully pulling her veil down so her face was covered. He didn't really understand the point of her wearing a veil, but it was tradition and Laxus was going to do everything in his power to make this perfect for her. He moved to her side, gently pulling her hand up and placing it in the crook of his elbow.

"Does anyone even know you're down here?" Lucy asked, smiling up at him as they waited for the music to begin.

"Nope. But there's no way in hell I'm gonna make you do this alone," he said, his bright blue eyes barely pricked with tears as she tightened her grip on his arm. "You're my kin, and… It's my job to approve of the man you're gonna marry."

"Do you not approve of your best friend?" Lucy giggled.

"Eh," he shrugged. When Lucy laughed a little more loudly, lightly (not so lightly) punching him in the ribs, he couldn't help but chuckle. And just as Lucy calmed down, and was simply smiling up at him, the doors opened and the string quartet began playing. "C'mon, let's get your ass married."

She took a slow breath and looked forward down the aisle that seemed to stretch on for miles as the first few stanzas of Pachelbel's  _Canon in D_  played from the cellist. Just as she and Laxus took the first step out of the manor and into the garden, everything stopped and one of the four cellists started strumming a much more jazzy version of the leading chords, his head bobbing as though he'd been possessed by the eternal funk-meister that dwelled within Gajeel.

Her eyes went wide as she took in the replaced cellists. The four stuffy old men that had been playing during the rehearsal the day before were gone, and in their places were friends of hers and Freed's. And it suddenly made tons of sense, why the first cellist was strumming so much like the Iron-Slayer, because it was Rogue Cheney. Wearing a black tuxedo with his hair pulled back into a ponytail. And still, he was jamming like crazy. Apparently his idolization of the Iron Slayer had also carried into music.

The next to come in was Rufus wearing a dark grey suit with a red tie, plucking and rocking with the beat that Rogue had set up. She just couldn't find it in herself to hate any of it.

Not even when Bacchus, the third cellist to begin playing, tossed his bow to the ground and started using the body of his cello to create a steady percussive beat. That actually had Lucy smiling like a giddy little schoolgirl. Mainly because she was getting to see a friend of hers - through Cana, really - using his magic in a way that no one would have expected. And he was - unsurprisingly - good.

This was most definitely  _not_  the song that had been slotted. Well, it was supposed to be  _Canon in D_ , just… the normal way. The way that  _everyone_  played and heard during weddings. Lucy and Laxus continued on their way, with the blonde Celestial mage keeping her head held high as though this was completely expected.

It was when the fourth cellist began playing that Lucy felt a little more at ease. It was still the song, just kicked up a notch or two. That was perfectly fine. In all honesty, the original had been worn out at least a century before, and having a faster tempo made her feel as though this wasn't just some formal occasion that she'd been forced into.

Lucy hadn't known that Rufus, Rogue, Bacchus, and…  _'Oh my god, Orga?!'_... even played the cello. Or any instruments, really.

"Huh," Laxus muttered, side-eying the green-haired Lightning God Slayer for a moment. "Didn't know he could fit into a tux."

"I didn't know he could play a damn cello," Lucy whispered just loud enough for Laxus to hear. The enormous mage easily dwarfed the instrument, and yet… Somehow he played the melody so beautifully, even with the faster tempo, that Lucy was left just a little dumbfounded.

Laxus chuckled quietly as they continued with the slow, measured pace down the long aisle. All of Fairy Tail was in attendance, along with most members from their allied guilds. There were plenty of people he didn't know, though. And it was pretty damn easy to tell the difference between the high society snobs and their mage friends. Then again, Princess Hisui and Arcadios were sitting on the side that held Fairy Tail, and Laxus couldn't help feeling proud that she was next to his grandfather.

His favorite part of this wedding so far was getting to see the reactions of all those high society assholes while the four cellists continued jamming right the fuck out. Appalled didn't even begin to describe what those snobs looked like. Disgusted. Really, he shouldn't have been enjoying it as much as he was.

"Little sis," Laxus whispered, "Did you change it?"

"No, I thought you might have," Lucy giggled.

"No…" Laxus kept his face blank as he searched the crowd for Frances, catching the man's eye and raising a silent, questioning brow.

" _Music?"_  Frances mouthed. When Laxus nodded discreetly, the Justine elder could only shrug.

With a deep fire burning in his gut, Laxus slowly raised his gaze to the landing halfway up the stairs, where Freed and the wedding party were already waiting. If someone had done this to try and ruin the wedding, then Laxus was more than ready to start electrocuting people. He wouldn't have an issue with it.

But then, he saw Freed. And the devious fucking smirk that barely made its way onto his face as their eyes locked.  _'That sneaky little fuck!'_  No one would have ever expected the Rune mage to change the music for Lucy to walk down the aisle to. And especially not to  _this._  Granted, there was nothing wrong with the music at all, and it was definitely a whole lot less boring to listen to.

Bacchus chuckled as the other three joined him during the breakdown, each of them beating on the bodies and necks of their instruments.

"You're marrying a cheeky little shit," Laxus laughed quietly.

"Freed changed it, didn't he…" When Lucy saw him nod out of the corner of her eye, she only smiled even more widely. It had been an ongoing joke for the past year that she was a bad influence on the Rune mage, and she was sure this was just more proof of that simple truth.

Lucy's eyes strayed to the stairs at the end of the aisle, the banisters on each side covered in roses and carnations in varying shades of red, pink, and white. The two sets of stairs that branched off on either side were the same as they led up to the ballroom balcony that overlooked the gardens. It was so beautiful, she was left just a little breathless.

The blondes paused at the bottom of the stairs and Lucy gazed down at the first step warily. She was sure that she would just break her ankle if she tried to get up these steps, and really, she should have considered having the seamstress just cut off part of the train so she would have been a little more at ease.

Just as Lucy was stuck wondering what to do, five golden objects floated down around her and lifted the front hem of her skirt, with two burrowing beneath it to pull the other layers up to clear a path for her feet.

She looked down at the two object she could see, smiling when she realized they were in the shape of little doves whose feet acted as clips to hold the fabric. Using Laxus' arm to keep her balance, just in case, Lucy started making her way up the stairs. Her gazed lifted to the Seith mage at the top of the stairs and she smiled when she saw that he wasn't wearing his visor, and the small green glow to his eyes while he grinned down at herself and Laxus.

"Freed," Bickslow whispered, leaning over slightly to get the stunned Rune mage's attention. "My babies wanted me to tell you…"

"Y-Yes?" Freed stuttered, a blush crossing his cheeks when he took in the sight of Lucy as she began to ascend the stairs toward them.

"Cosplayer's wearing some super sexy purple lingerie."

"Ah, thank you, Bickslow."

"I got your back, man," he chuckled.

It felt as though an eternity passed while Freed waited for Lucy and Laxus to get to the top of the stairs, but once they finally did, and once her hand had been placed in his with Laxus leaning down to place a small kiss on their joined hands to show his approval of their marriage, Freed found himself lost in a haze.

"Nous sommes réunis ici aujourd'hui pour assister à la majesté de l'amour," the officiant began. It was all mostly lost on the couple that stood before him, and he most especially didn't mind having to clear his throat discreetly to get their attention at the appropriate times. It wasn't all that often that he was called upon to perform a ceremony in this language, but he loved doing it all the more because of how beautifully crafted romance languages were. ("We are gathered here today to witness the majesty of love.")

Freed wanted to remember every moment of their wedding, but he couldn't stop himself from trying to see Lucy through her veil. From getting lost in the lilting melody of her voice while she spoke her vows.

"Moi, Lucille Beatrix Heartfilia, jure par le ciel pour vous emmener comme mon mari. Car tous nos jours, vous serez celui avec qui je vais toujours trouver la paix." ("I, Lucille Beatrix Heartfilia, swear by the heavens to take you as my husband. For all our days, you will be the one with whom I will always find peace.")

He knew that he'd said his, because he'd had them memorized for months, but when the moment finally came for him to lift the veil, his heart began pounding in his chest.

"Ce mariage doit être scellé avec un baiser," said the officiant, finally calling the ceremony to a close and nodding for Freed to lift his bride's veil. ("This marriage shall be sealed with a kiss.")

She was more beautiful than he'd ever imagined possible. A shaft of sunlight brightened the landing they stood on as her mismatched eyes were revealed. The proof of their love for one another, of the deep connection they shared from their childhood, stared back at him.

Lucy's gentle smile only widened when she was finally able to see Freed more clearly. He looked more than handsome in the black tuxedo he was wearing, with a red tie running down the length of his white dress shirt and a matching red vest beneath it. His sword was missing for this one occasion, but that was because he had asked her to store it in the small requip bracelet she used for her keys.

His hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, with his bangs still covering his right eye and the little lightning-shaped cowlicks sticking out from the sides. She was sure that he did it on purpose, since the last time she'd seen him with his hair pulled up like this had ended in a very sweaty night for the two of them.

One hand curved around her cheek while the other glided down to her waist, pulling her closer as he finally closed the distance between them. Although the kiss was chaste, as they most often were while he and Lucy were in public, he could feel her giddiness seeping into him as he quickly deepened it, his tongue pushing past her lips and curling wickedly around hers.

The polite applause from Frances' guests was instantly drowned out by the wild cheers from the mage guilds in attendance.

"Freed," Laxus chuckled. "Take it down a notch, I think your old man's gonna have a nosebleed."

Lucy giggled at the soft groan that her husband let loose while he kept kissing her, and slowly pulled back with one last tender peck to his lips. "C'mon, sweetie. There's more to do."

Freed smiled as his eyes finally slid open. "Yes," he sighed in resignation. "I suppose there is."

The couple turned and faced their guests, ignoring the disapproving looks from the other high society families as they waited for Bickslow's babies to place themselves at Lucy's skirt again so she could descend the stairs safely. With her hand resting in the crook of his elbow, Freed led her down the grand staircase toward a section of the gardens that was set up for their wedding pictures to be taken.

The constant catcalls from their fellow guildmates had both Lucy and Freed ducking their heads and blushing, but they were still smiling as widely as possible. Nothing could ruin that moment for them.

"Oh, they're going to have the most beautiful babies," Mira sighed wistfully from her place on Laxus' arm just behind the newlyweds.

Not even Mira's obsession with children could ruin it. Both Freed and Lucy were secretly thinking that the barmaid had a point, and now that they were married, maybe it was time to consider a little addition to their lives.

* * *

Once the pictures with the wedding party had been taken, Freed and Lucy slowly meandered around the garden to just bask in the small reprieve from the attention. It wasn't long-lived, however, because they still had a reception to get to, but it was enough for a few more stolen kisses.

They finally arrived at the ballroom, with Freed quietly chuckling over Lucy's almost silent berating of the skirt of her gown trying to murder her, and paused as the large glass doors were pulled open for them to enter. There was no chance for them to have a seat for a little while, so Freed simply led her over to the center of the room and turned to face her as they prepared to begin their first dance as husband and wife.

"What song did Frances choose for our dance?" Lucy asked quietly while Freed stood from his bow, straightening from her own curtsy.

Freed paused and frowned only slightly when he saw and felt how tense she was. "Lucy, is something the matter?"

She shook her head, a tightened smile on her lips. Really, nothing was the matter. It was just that the blonde had been trying to fit herself back into high society's standards so that she wouldn't embarrass Frances. He had done so much for the two of them in regards to their wedding, and she just wanted to pay back his kindness by showing that the woman that had married his once-eldest son was worth her salt.

"You need to loosen up," he chuckled as she nervously chewed on her lower lip. He was pretty sure he had an idea of what was the matter. She had been the picture of modesty and a shining example of how women should carry themselves during the entire ceremony. The only time she had really relaxed was when it was just him and their friends taking pictures with the photographer.

"I'm fine." When he simply raised an unamused brow at her, she quickly glanced around to see that everyone was watching them, and that the orchestra - which she was suddenly realizing was actually a full orchestra, and not just the strings that had been outside, and that the mages that had commandeered the music while she was walking down the aisle were back in the crowd - was poised and ready to begin playing. "Freed, everyone's waiting."

"Yes," he nodded. Slowly he lifted her hands and pressed his lips to her knuckles. "But, my wife is uncomfortable, and I feel it is my responsibility to help her relax."

"How?"

"Like this," he smirked.

Lucy found herself laughing when Freed started wiggling, his arms flailing wildly just as he'd done when they were children. And that was when she realized that she was being an idiot.

Freed was nearly always the perfect example of propriety, but he didn't care about what anyone thought of them. He had even showed her that he wanted this to be about them, and not what was expected of them, when he changed up the music for her to walk to. And she knew that it was because this was  _their_  wedding. She and Freed had been living life the way they had wanted for several years, and they were comfortable and happy. There was no point hiding who she was now just because of where they were.

Besides, over the past several months, with Frances having been around more often to help with the wedding, she had come to realize that her father-in-law loved her just the way she was. Just as he loved Freed the way he was. Even Frances had started to loosen up, and she could only assume it was because he'd finally come to realize just what the strict life he'd forced upon his loved ones had cost him.

With a roll of her eyes, Lucy wiggled, laughing right along with Freed at the smug smile she received from her ridiculous Rune mage husband.

"Now you are ready," he smirked, pulling Lucy into position. "And, in answer to your question, I chose the song. I hope you do not mind, but I am very curious to find out what it sounds like."

A confused smile turned up her lips at that. Had Freed really chosen a song that he'd never heard before? Her eyes went wide as Freed pulled her just a little closer as the piano began to play. "F-Freed?"

He started leading her through the first steps of a Viennese waltz, one that he'd been practicing for the past month so that he wouldn't step on her toes like he always did while they danced. Evergreen had nearly beaten him to a pulp when he'd asked for her help, and Bickslow had no idea how to dance in the first place unless he was shaking his ass and making a fool of himself. That had given Freed only one other option, and that laid in Laxus. The Lightning Slayer was well-versed in more formal dancing, although no one that knew about it was entirely sure why, and he'd taken it upon himself to help Freed get through this dance with his dignity intact.

"It's beautiful," he whispered as they floated across the dance floor. The piano was hauntingly beautiful, tinged with a sadness that he could feel in each carefully plucked note. As the rest of the orchestra came in, slowly crescendoing until a single flute danced just over the melody, he could almost see what Lucy had while she was writing it.

Lucy's smile widened as she watched Freed hearing her music for the first time. Tears pooled in her eyes at the love that was shining down at her from him. This was for him, what she had written while thinking about him. The love and passion that had blossomed between them. How it swelled into the pain of their separation. Her determination to have him return safely. Everything they had shared together, she had poured into this song, just for him.

Freed gently spun Lucy and pulled her back into his arms while he continued leading her through the steps Laxus had taught him. Seeing the tears in her eyes nearly made him question just what it was that had happened to make her cry, but she was smiling, and he couldn't help but mirror it.

The music swelled into an overwhelming, passionate crescendo, the strings rising and falling in waves until everything died down to allow only the piano to ring out over the silent ballroom.

Freed gradually slowed himself and Lucy, pulling her closer and simply swaying from one side to the other as the song came to a close.

"One Man's Dream," Lucy sniffled as he rested his forehead against hers.

" _You_  are my dream come true, my angel," he smiled, lifting her chin and tenderly kissing her. And she really was. Lucy had always been a dream come true for Freed. When they were children, the times they had managed to reunite over the years, even though they didn't remember one another. When she had saved him from being tortured. Every day and night since she had brought him out of that old monastery, held him when he needed it.

And now that they had their memories back, now that he knew just how important the blonde Celestial mage had  _always_  been to him, Freed was more sure than ever that she was going to be his dream come true for all of their lives.

* * *

After the cake had been cut, and when the music had changed from the orchestra to more modern music - something that Lucy hadn't realized Frances made sure would happen so that even the mages who weren't used to high society functions would feel like they were in their comfort zone (although, it could have been at Evergreen's insistence) - Lucy was tucked into Freed's side as they talked with a few of their friends.

Everyone in Fairy Tail knew that, for the most part, Freed was alright when he was surrounded by people that he knew, but they still all made a conscious effort to not crowd him - and to intercept anyone that tried to do just that, not knowing what would happen to the Rune mage. And both Lucy and Freed seriously appreciated that their family in the guild was looking out for him.

Lucy was stolen away from her husband for a quick dance with Loke, and when she came back, she was surprised to see Angela standing next to Freed with an unfamiliar man on her arm.

' _That must be Baelin,'_  Lucy thought. By the time she had reached the small group, there was a familiar voice from a few feet away that drew everyone's attention.

"Dad! What are you doing here?!" Bickslow shouted, rushing over and embracing the older blue-haired man that was several inches shorter than him.

"D-Dad?" Freed sputtered.

Angela blinked in surprise as Freed and Lucy's teammate pulled back with a tongue-lolling grin that was alarmingly identical to her new husband's. "This is… Andrew?" she asked softly.

Baelin's grin stayed in place as he turned toward his wife. "Yeah, my little Andrew. Well, not so little now, since I've gotta look up his nose all the time."

Lucy bit her lips as Freed paled slightly. "Looks like Bickslow's your stepbrother, sweetie."

"Oh good lord," Freed whimpered. "M-Mother, why?"

Bickslow laughed and moved to throw an arm around Freed's shoulders. "Aw, don't be like that. You love me, Freed."

"I tolerate you," he huffed.

"Hey, if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten your ass thrown in a pool and got Cosplayer back, so… You love me. Your big... huggable... absolutely hilarious...  _stepbrother_!"

"Kill me now," Freed whispered.

Lucy blinked, a helpless smile taking root on her face while stepping forward to give Angela a hug. "I've missed you, Angela."

"I've missed you too, dear," Angela said softly, blinking back happy tears. "I wish Layla could have seen this. She would be so proud."

"Well, I've still got a mom right here," Lucy said as she pulled back. The look of shock on the older woman's face had her giggling. "I'm your daughter-in-law now, but you were always like a second mom to me. I just wish we'd gotten more time together, y'know?"

"Y-Yes, dear," Angela laughed. She pulled Lucy into another hug, the two lingering just a little longer, before turning to introduce the blonde to her husband. "Baelin, I'd like you to meet Lucy."

As Lucy was putting her hand out for him to shake, she squeaked in surprise when she was pulled into a warm, inviting hug by Bickslow's father. And that was when she realized, aside from the fact that both Bickslow and Baelin had identically-colored hair, and they both laughed and smiled with their tongues hanging from their mouths - with the Seith mage's guild mark being the only real difference between their smiles… She was sure that Bickslow had learned how to hug properly from his father. And not a moment later, she was hugging him back, just as though it was Bickslow's arms around her.

"It's great to meet you, Lucy," Baelin whispered. "I, uh… I hope it's alright that Angie brought me to the wedding."

She drew back in surprise, smiling gently when she saw that he was, in fact, a little nervous. "Well, you make her happy, and you're her husband, I hear."

"Y-Yeah," he chuckled. "I am."

The fact that she could so easily see the pure love and adoration on the older man's face as his eyes strayed over to Freed's mother was enough to know that he was really in love with her. And the fact that his love for Angela hadn't diminished in all the time they had been apart, even with years gone by and her having given three children to Frances.

"Then I don't see any problem with you being here," Lucy finally said. "Besides, I've always wanted to meet one of Loke's old friends."

"Loke?" Baelin asked, his brows furrowing.

At the mention of his name, the Lion spirit stepped forward, grinning and pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Baelin, I see you've met my princess."

"Your…" His eyes widened as he turned back to Lucy, finding the woman blushing up a storm. "You're his new master?"

"My friend," Loke corrected, leaning down to press his lips to her golden hair. "You remember when I came to visit and told you that Angela was coming?"

"Yes," he nodded.

"And the story I told you about the woman that saved me?"

"That's…"

"Lucy," Loke grinned. "My beautiful princess."

Freed laughed while pulling Lucy's hand and dragging her back toward him just before Loke could kiss her cheek. "And my wife, Loke. Do not forget that, or I will be forced to lock you in runes and feed you only wet cat food."

An easy smile crossed the spirit's face; although, he was internally shuddering over the prospect of that garbage people called food for cats. "Trust me, I couldn't be happier for the two of you. And as long as she's happy, then so am I."

"Oh, Baelin," Lucy laughed. "I have to ask you... Where did Bickslow's nickname come from?"

"People are still calling you that?" Baelin laughed while looking toward his grinning son.

"Of course! Bickslow is an awesome nickname!" Bickslow cackled. "Look at my face! Do I  _look_  like an Andrew?!"

While the nearby Fairy Tail mages shook their heads, Bickslow's father blinked slowly. "Yes," he deadpanned. "I named you myself." There was a round of uproarious laughter as he turned back to Lucy. "As for your question,  _Andrew_  got the nickname because he was a big kid and he always moved slowly. I said 'He's big and slow'  _one time_  and the little stinker shouted,  _'I'm Bickslow!'_  He never let it go..."

The Seith mage laughed again, nodding as he remembered the story of his nickname. "I'm definitely not slow now."

"Just touched in the head," Freed smirked.

"I'll touch  _you_ _r_  head! Wait..." Bickslow drew back and shuddered. "I'm good. You're a married man, now."

"And your stepbrother!" Laxus shouted as he walked by with Mira on his arm.

"Freed and Bickslow are stepbrothers?!" Mira screeched! "Oh, the babies!"

"MIRA!" the nearby mages shouted, their eyes widening in horror.

"I-I don't think that's how it works," Angela whispered uncomfortably.

Bickslow threw his arm around his new stepmother, leaning down to kiss her cheek. He couldn't help it. If she'd married his dad, then she was part of the family even more than she'd been as just Freed's mother. "That's just Laxus' girlfriend for you, Mama. She's baby-crazy."

Angela flushed slightly at what Bickslow had called her, glancing at her once-eldest son to see a fond smile on his face. Even though he'd made it appear that he really didn't approve of himself and his own teammate being legally related, she could tell it was just Freed being Freed.

Lucy kissed Freed's cheek when she saw Frances sitting at a table, clearly not listening to the aristocrats that were surrounding him as he glanced longingly toward Angela. "I'll be right back."

"Of course," Freed nodded. He watched curiously as she made her way through the crowd on a nearly direct path to his father, wincing when he realized just what the older man must be going through.

Frances had been such an integral part of preparing for their wedding, even though Freed and Lucy had been adamant about paying for the majority of it themselves. But they had both been able to see it in his eyes from time to time, that he was hurting over the loss of his wife. And even more so now that the wedding was happening, and she was very obviously happy, smiling and laughing, in the arms of another man.

Freed had never seen his mother so happy. So open and carefree. When she and his father had been together, she was the picture of a high society women, and scared. But now, that was gone. She lived a normal, modest life with the man she truly loved.

Lucy finally came to a stop just beside Frances' chair, smiling when he completely ignored the two men that were nearly failing at holding their disdain for her interruption at bay. She and Freed knew things were hard on him, and that was part of the reason they'd let him help so much with the wedding. He was trying to make things right, and even though they all knew money couldn't fix everything, it wasn't his money that the two wanted.

They'd seen a new side of the elder Justine in the past few months. Kinder, gentler, more prone to smiling than he'd been before. Yes, he was still a professional eighty percent of the time, but that twenty percent was what they cherished from him.

"Yes, Lucy?" Frances whispered.

She looked to the two men, instantly recognizing one as Duke Junelle, and gave an apologetic smile. "I need to steal my father-in-law away for just a little while," she said, turning back to the elder Justine. "Would you please come with me, Frances?"

He sighed in nearly silent relief and stood, tucking her hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked away from the table and out to the balcony, pausing here and there for Lucy to receive congratulations on her marriage from mages and nobles alike.

Once they were outside, he wasn't the least bit surprised by how she turned and wrapped her arms around him. It wasn't appropriate in the slightest for the bride to be outside with her arms around another man, even her father-in-law, but he just couldn't bring himself to care as he hugged her right back. He had grown to love Lucy's hugs in the time they'd been able to see each other. "Your parents would be so happy tonight," he whispered.

"They would," she nodded. "But, I wanted to know if you're alright."

"Of course, Lucy," he said stiffly. "My son has married-"

"No," she sighed. "I mean about Angela." The blonde pulled back and took his slightly wrinkled hands in hers, her thumbs running over the backs of them. "Are you okay?"

A sad, almost imperceptible smile pulled at the corners of his lips. "It is difficult, but… I brought the pain I feel at seeing her with that man on myself. I can… I can only allow myself to be happy for her."

"But you miss her."

"Every day, I miss her more," he nodded.

"Have you… tried talking to her since the divorce?"

He shook his head then, turning toward the railing and looking out across the gardens with the sun setting on the far horizon. "We did not even speak for that," he whispered. "I knew that Christophe knew where she was, so I simply handed him the divorce papers. She… She sent them back within the week."

"Frances…" Lucy frowned slightly when she saw the faint hint of tears beginning to well in his eyes.

He quickly withdrew a handkerchief and blotted them away. "As I said, I did this to myself, Lucy. There is nothing between myself and Freed's mother any longer, and… That has to be alright."

"I still think you should at least talk to her," Lucy answered gently.

"We shall see."

They spent several minutes in silence until she finally drew away from the banister and held her hand out to Freed's father. "I have a request though," she finally said while they walked back inside.

"What might that be?" he chuckled.

"Well, Freed's about to have his dance with Angela, and… I would be dancing with my dad right now, but…"

He blinked in surprise as he saw Freed and Angela standing together on the dance floor, seemingly waiting for something to happen. His gaze flickered to Lucy, to his son and ex-wife, then back to the blushing bride. "You…"

Lucy led Frances onto the dance floor, a respectful distance from her own husband. "Would it be alright if I had my father-daughter dance with you, Frances?"

He nodded wordlessly, an astonished smile on his face while they got into position. The music began, a slow jazz piece that he and Angela had danced to at their own wedding.  _'Moonlight Serenade,'_  he thought while leading Lucy through the simple steps. At the time, he'd made this one concession for his new wife, allowing her to choose the song they'd had their first dance to.

This time, however, Frances hadn't chosen any of the music. It had all been left up to Freed, and by proxy, to Laxus for more contemporary pieces. He was sure his son didn't know that this had been an important song to Angela at one point.

Then again, as he turned Lucy and caught a quick glance at his ex-wife, Frances' breath caught when her eyes locked onto his. He gave her only a sad smile before returning his attention to his dance partner, barely catching the one she sent him back. Angela remembered what had once been their song, and he could only assume that Freed must have found out. This was as close as Frances would ever get to dancing with her again.

"Thank you for everything, Frances," Lucy whispered.

"It was my pleasure, Lucy," he replied. "Being able to do something worthwhile has helped me these past few months."

Lucy smiled at Freed when she was able to see him, then bit her lip and looked back to her father-in-law. "Well, I was serious about you and Angela talking."

"I think it would be best if I allow her to move on completely," he sighed.

"True, but Freed and I both agreed that we would want the family to come together for special occasions. And it might make things a little less painful if you two can at least be friends."

He chuckled quietly, shaking his head. "It may be in your best interest to simply leave me out of those occasions," he sighed. "Angela and I were never friends to begin with. Arranged marriages simply didn't work that way."

"Well…" She gave him a shy smile, her cheeks flushing slightly. "I think you may change your mind when your grandbaby is born."

Frances stumbled, his eyes widening. "G-Grandchild…?" he sputtered, quickly regaining his footing as Lucy laughed.

"Not yet," she assured him. "But… Maybe in the next year."

"You and Freed have… talked about this?"

"Sort of," she whispered. "I'll talk to him about it on the honeymoon, I suppose." She couldn't help but snicker when Frances' cheeks flushed and he blinked repeatedly. "I think we're both ready to have a family, Frances. And whenever the time comes, we'll want you  _and_  Angela there to celebrate."

His gaze strayed to his ex-wife as the song ended, with Frances automatically hooking his arm to lead Lucy across the floor to Freed. "M-Maybe…"

She smiled and leaned up to kiss the older man's cheek. "I'll take a maybe," she whispered. Once she was with Freed again, she shook her head at the curious look he was giving her. She would tell him later on about her attempt at bringing his parents together in a way that would make everyone happier in the future.

* * *

Lucy's arm was hooked around Freed's as they stood at the entrance of the estate. The hundreds of guests that had been invited were already lined up and waiting to bid them farewell.

Their excitement was palpable and the newlyweds simply couldn't contain their smiles, not that they were trying all that much. Lucy was more than ready to be out of there, and she just knew that Freed felt the same.

Their honeymoon wasn't going to be a long one, and was only a few hours away in Akane Resort. The next week would be theirs alone.

"Are you ready?" Freed asked.

"More than ready," she nodded.

They descended the steps from the entry, grinning unabashedly as cheers sounded from their friends in attendance. Once they'd reached the bottom, Freed and Lucy looked at one another for only a moment, then set off on a mad dash, hands intertwined, through the sudden shower of rice that came from their guests. They both knew that, even though the tradition had fallen by the wayside in high society, their friends in the guild and neighboring guilds would be hard-pressed to ignore the chance at making a mess.

Multicolored bursts of magic shot into the air, creating their very own fireworks show as the couple ran to the white carriage with two white horses that was waiting for them at the end of the long red carpet. Bouquets of white and pink carnations rested along the back and bordered the door that was sitting open, with their driver waiting and smiling all the while.

They finally stopped and Freed helped Lucy get into the carriage without incident, chuckling when he saw that Bickslow's totems, still housed in the little golden dove figurines from the ceremony, lifted the train of her gown to make things go a little more smoothly.

Once she was settled, and the five golden doves flew back toward the Seith mage, he made his way in and took a seat next to her.

Laxus' arm wound around Mira a little more tightly, tears welling in his eyes as his best friend and the woman he'd taken as kin turned to wave through the window in the back of the carriage while it finally started pulling away.

Another resounding chorus of cheers came from the wedding guests, and Lucy and Freed caught small glimpses of the family they were leaving behind (for a short while, that is).

Frances stood on one side of Angela, his hand on her shoulder and happy tears dripping down his cheeks. On the woman's other side was Baelin, grinning like a madman, just like his son who stood just behind him. Bickslow was carrying an already very intoxicated Cana piggyback.

Christophe stood off to one side, his arm discreetly wrapped around a grinning Levy. A good distance away, Gajeel had picked up Wendy so she could sit on his shoulder, both of them smiling and waving.

Natsu and Gray were behaving themselves, most likely because Erza was sobbing and holding onto them for dear life. They did look a little blue in the face.

There was nothing more that could have made their night more perfect, Lucy decided. She had married the man that had always held her heart, her best friend. And, as she looked into his eyes, making sure that her eye patch was transparent (as it had been all day), Lucy found herself falling in love all over again.

No matter what had happened in their past, no matter how many times they had been torn apart, she and Freed had always found a way back to each other.

They knew that the future wouldn't be easy, and that there would be fights and other hurdles they would just have to deal with, but Lucy knew… and Freed knew… They were meant to be together.

He brought their lips together in a chaste kiss while his hands covered hers. "I love you, Lucy Justine," he grinned.

Lucy giggled and lightly nipped at his lips. "I love you too, Freed Justine." She was tempted to mention wanting to try for a baby right then - well, that they could start while on their honeymoon - but decided that she wanted to wait until they were in their hotel room. Just in case her dear, sweet husband decided to have a nosebleed over it.

So instead, Lucy just let herself sink further into his embrace, allowing his lips and tongue to slowly take her breath away as they got further and further from his father's estate.

This was going to be their new adventure. Together, in love, and there was nothing the world could do to stop them.

_And they lived happily ever after._

* * *

_**.The End.** _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that concludes The Shackled Rune.
> 
> Yes, I went with a total fairy tale ending for them, but I think that Freed and Lucy totally deserved it. I'd like to thank all of you for being so supportive over the course of this story. All the ups and downs, the single hiatus, the long breaks between updates. You're words of encouragement have helped me to become a better writer, and we never would have gotten to this point if it wasn't for all of you.
> 
> So, from the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
> 
> Now, in case you're wondering about the music that was used in this chapter, here are the links on Youtube:
> 
> -Lucy walking down the aisle (Thanks to LittlePrincessNana for convincing me that this needed to happen)  
> Piano Guys, Pachelbel's Canon in D (youtube.com/watch?v=LV5_xj_yuhs)
> 
> -Lucy and Freed's first dance  
> Yanni, One Man's Dream (youtube.com/watch?v=ihic3AqopZk)
> 
> -Father/Daughter, Mother/Son dance  
> Glenn Miller, Moonlight Serenade (youtube.com/watch?v=_X8sz_wgrSc)


End file.
